Dear Urban Diplomat: what should I do about an annoying e-biker?
Dear Urban Diplomat,
Every day on my commute along Eastern Avenue, this guy on an electric bike zooms past my car, sometimes in the bike lane, sometimes weaving between cars, sometimes popping up onto the sidewalk for a few metres before plonking back onto the street. It’s maddening. Short of gently nudging him with my bumper, what should I do?
—Driven to Despair, Cliffside
Nothing brings humankind together like our shared loathing of law-flouting e-bikers. The scourge of the road, they are neither bike nor motorcycle, yet their operators adopt the unpredictability of the former and the swagger of the latter. Legally, e-bikes aren’t allowed on sidewalks or divided cycle tracks (like the one on Sherbourne), but they are allowed in painted bike lanes. So for the sidewalk portion of your complaint, the law is on your side. Do not—repeat, NOT—nudge him with your bumper or any other part of your car’s anatomy. Call the non-emergency police number at 416-808-2222 to provide the where and when of his repeat offending. With luck, you’ll be driving by and witness the bust.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at [email protected]
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Dear Urban Diplomat,
Every day on my commute along Eastern Avenue, this guy on an electric bike zooms past my car, sometimes in the bike lane, sometimes weaving between cars, sometimes popping up onto the sidewalk for a few metres before plonking back onto the street. It’s maddening. Short of gently nudging him with my bumper, what should I do?
—Driven to Despair, Cliffside
Nothing brings humankind together like our shared loathing of law-flouting e-bikers. The scourge of the road, they are neither bike nor motorcycle, yet their operators adopt the unpredictability of the former and the swagger of the latter. Legally, e-bikes aren’t allowed on sidewalks or divided cycle tracks (like the one on Sherbourne), but they are allowed in painted bike lanes. So for the sidewalk portion of your complaint, the law is on your side. Do not—repeat, NOT—nudge him with your bumper or any other part of your car’s anatomy. Call the non-emergency police number at 416-808-2222 to provide the where and when of his repeat offending. With luck, you’ll be driving by and witness the bust.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com){kind=link}
Of course, we can ignore the horseless carriages that run red lights, don’t stop at stop signs, don’t signal, park in bicycle lanes to get a “quick” coffee, etc..
I believe the word you’re looking for is “cars”, and no one is saying ANYWHERE HERE that the things you mentioned are acceptable.
I’m with UD on calling the non-emergency police. While doing it, I’d follow him. Just keep following him, that way you can have the satisfaction of seeing him get nailed.
Since pretty much everyone does these things they must be acceptable, at least to fellow motorists.
“… their operators adopt the unpredictability of the former and the swagger of the latter.”
— I note they wear helmets yet many are waaaaaay too cool to actually attach the straps. Such devil-may-care fellows!!
Wow, something awfully bad must have happened to you for you to be so bitter.
I am a motorist, a cyclist, a skateboarder, and a pedestrian, so I have no bias in what I’m saying. I can assure you that the actions you are describing are not acceptable, and are maddening to me as well. Any selfish act by anyone on the road me cringe, and I wish I could tell that person why what they did was wrong, but unfortunately that’s not possible. The difference between you and me is that I don’t stereotype every driver as an evil human being who was only put on earth to make cyclists lives more miserable, just because a few have done so.
If you have problems with E Bikes getting to work faster. Get an E Bike
“like our shared loathing of law-flouting e-bikers” – Now there is unbiased Journalism, mr/ms should go far..
There are some irresponsible ebike riders out there, there are a lot more irresponsible drivers. They can be annoying because they a little more nimble in traffic than
traditional bicycles. If you let them go and leave you in your polluted collective dust, they are no longer a factor in the traffic jam and the driver benefits.
Many drivers do not keep their distance from anything with wheels and all the
construction downtown has exacerbated the problem for all road users (in
2013 112 Bicycle Users were killed by Cars and trucks) Keeping your
distance from eBikes and eScooters is particularly important (legally its 3′ and they can ride in the middle of the road legally). City Hall has banned them from trails and many bike lanes, forcing them to be in front of you.The City has done a lousy job of maintaining the roads. They are populated with pot holes, sink holes, sunken sewer covers and other hazards that you do not notice or fear in your pickup truck, but are very real to an escooter rider with 13” wheels. Consequently they tend to dodge a foot either way to avoid them, often at the last second because they are also distracted by the 4 wheel hazards. This is interpreted as erratic driving when it is in fact tactical
driving. You tailgate an eBike/eScooter at the wrong time and that bike dodges a small sink hole and you grievously injure or kill a rider, outside of court penalties, you have just become a victim too. It will come to you in your sleep, every time you sleep,
just like a DUI killer. Would it be any different if a truck hit a car, the truck driver must live with the consequences and it terrifies a lot of them as well. The message is that be courteous, even the other one “appears” not to be. Being 2 minutes late for work is not worth it. In parting I will add this eRiders are pretty much split 50/50 in sex and tend to
be Students or citizens over 50, no Marlon Brando’s out there. Be Nice.
Most of “them” are just regular persons like you trying to get from A to B in the most practical and economical way possible. “They” are not some spawn from another planet. Nobody “nudges” you when they do not like it that you are in front of them, or maybe not going fast enough for them, nor would you “nudge” other automobiles, so give your head a shake. Other automobiles, trucks, bicycles,and yes, even the hated ebikes all have a legal and moral right to be using the roads, I am not sure why it is such a hard concept that you must share it.
Literally the day after I read this article I saw an Ebiker take a spill on the sidewalk in front of my house. Luckily she was wearing a helmet as she ran into an elevated lip of the sidewalk causing her to hit the ground pretty hard. I asked her if she was ok or needed anything but she just looked at me then away. She was probably just embarrassed and didn’t really think anything of it. I then told her that it was illigal to ride her Ebike on the sidewalk and she would probably avoid the fall on the road. The death stare I got would put medusa to shame. Again I said if she needed me to call someone or needed anything I could help her but no, she was not interested.
People in vehicles are also looking to get from A to B in the most practical and economical way possible but they manage to do that without driving on sidewalks or divided cycle lanes. E-bikes don’e merit any special treatment.
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL SNIPER
no man. e-bike rider are constantly choosing a different vehicle to be all the time. They use the road acting as a motor bike, they use bike lanes (silently), and they even go on sidewalks (sometimes). Biggest problem is they are TOO WIDE to act like a bike. Don’t tell me there a bike because they have pedals that don’t work, they’re an electric scooter. Period. And the drivers should act accordingly.