Recent articles in the 'New York Times' about e-bike safety have been largely absent of analysis on the things killing e-bike riders: cars.

The New York Times published a pair of articles this weekend highlighting the rising number of deaths of cyclists riding electric bikes. However, in one of the most impressive feats of victim-blaming I’ve seen from the publication in some time, the NYT lays the onus on e-bikes instead of on the things killing their law abiding riders: cars.

  • magnetosphere@kbin.social
    5·
    11 months ago

    When I’m driving, and a cyclist is “in my way”, I don’t blame the cyclist. I blame the shitty infrastructure. I’d love to ride a bike more often, but the roads and laws are just too hostile.

  • Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
    3·
    11 months ago

    Just another perspective here.

    Yes, it’s cars, and yes, it’s infrastructure. However…

    E-bikes have been causing a spike in cyclist crashes, even in places that is considered the safest place to cycle: The Netherlands.

    The problem with e-bikes is that they are more like motorcycles and less like bikes, so you get a huge number of people under 25 and people over 55 crashing these things left and right.

    This article from The Verge is worth the read to get a better idea of what’s going on.

    • Tessellecta@feddit.nl
      11·
      11 months ago

      80 yo or 14 yo on ebikes are menaces. One because they don’t have the reaction time and coordination to handle the speed. One because they don’t have a shred of situational awareness or respect for the rules of the road.

      It’s honestly scary to share a bike path with both.

  • rm_dash_r_star@lemm.ee
    01·
    11 months ago

    Not going to read the article so in response to the comment, electric bicycles put people in a strange place in terms of safety. You’ve got the speeds of a motorcycle without the ability to flow with traffic. In the presence of high density traffic I’d say an e-bike is more dangerous than a motorcycle.

    I’ve been a motorcyclist most of my life and I can say you have to be super vigilant about situational awareness and ready to evade at all times. People driving in cars are not programmed to notice motorcycles. They’re always looking for cars and sometimes don’t register other hazards. It shouldn’t be that way, but nothing is going to change that as long as human beings are driving.

    My recommendation to anyone who wants to use an e-bike for regular transportation is just go to a motorcycle, it’s going to be much safer in traffic. There’s some really nice electric motorcycles now. For e-bike users you have to be extra careful. Drivers don’t see bicyclists anyway and you’re going a lot faster most of the time. A head injury at 10 mph can be fatal.

    • moral_imperative@beehaw.org
      2·
      11 months ago

      You’re so close, bud.

      Most ebikes have a top speed of 20mph and weigh less than a motorcycle (and MUCH LESS than a car,) so your first paragraph is BS.

      2nd paragraph - right on. It’s almost like cars are big heavy death machines that are dangerous, even FATAL, at high speeds.

      Motorcycles cost more, are heavier, and move much faster than ebikes. They’re absolutely more dangerous than an ebike.

      Give ebikes their own infrastructure and do urban planning that reduces the speed and danger levels of large, fast-moving vehicles.