As a 16-year-old who recently acquired her license, I thought that I could leave the oh-so-embarrassing e-bike part of my life behind. Until, that is, the damage I did to my newly acquired vehicle forced me back to bike.
Yet, a silver lining persisted through my travel back in time: the e-bike was shockingly exhilarating. And with the new found knowledge from learning to drive, I knew with full confidence I was both safely navigating the roads along with benefiting the environment.
However, as I locked my e-bike to the rack outside of Safeway to purchase herbs for my falafels, I was met with some of the rudest encounters I can recall, in the entirety of both driving bikes as well as cars.
So, what is with the hate on e-bikes? If we break them down, the bikes are extremely beneficial, especially to the environment. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average vehicle emits around 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Which, in comparison, is 4.6 more tons than the e-bike emits.
The bikes additionally save money due to climbing gas prices, are a success-ridden passage to parking and arguably can do much less harm than if you put a driver with the same skill set behind the wheel of a car.
Regardless, the majority of e-bikers threatening the Bend roads are below the minimum age of 16, a major issue the city has difficulty dealing with. Giving developing teens a motorized vehicle is without a doubt risky, especially since it’s like a mini getaway car.
“As an adolescent whose brain is still developing, there are more chances of an adolescent maybe making a decision that isn’t the safest in a complex situation,” said Pam Orton, Summit’s nurse.
You see much less sporadic behavior from regular bikes since many have grown up riding them, allowing riders to be fully aware of their role in street traffic and within bike lanes.
However, as e-bikes take over, their lane of performance is spread through bike lanes, sidewalks and the road itself.
“The older you are, the more respect you have for everyone else and the use of the road,” said Lauren Heidtke, a Summit junior and semi-retired e-bike rider.
Regardless of how old you are, those behind the wheel tend to view all e-bikers as middle schoolers since this is the most prominent age group.
However, I encourage you, when driving alongside e-bikers, to wipe your eyes from the image of those obnoxious middle schoolers recklessly driving and instead open them to the possibility that they could be law-abiding and licensed.
An unlicensed middle schooler illegally riding deals with backlash from adults (mostly deserved), whereas a licensed driver battles just as much. The point is, keep calm when faced with judgement, and e-bike on—as long as you have the license and wits to do so.
