29th June 2018 Speed pedalecs Round 2!

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Friday 29th 70F, 21C, bright and windy. What a lovely day! I walked between shimmering fields of silver and gold crops beneath brushed, feathery clouds set against an azure sky. The heat of the sun was softened by the wind as everything took on a wonderfully crisp appearance.

Meanwhile Scotland had a record breaking 32C yesterday, or 90F. As the roof on the Glasgow Science Center melted, railway lines buckled, gritters treated tarry roads and infants were still being sold "energy" drinks despite the ban.

Sadly, the highest temperature since records began was not quite broken. Which was a huge disappointment for Scots headline writers. Ah, the thin skin of human civilization! Where will it all end?

My doubts concerning the use of faster electric bicycles on the cycle paths has obviously struck a chord. The minister has listened to criticism and the 15-17 age group MUST now have a  moped license to ride the faster 45kph machines.

The minister's hope is that many commuters will choose the electric bike in preference to buying a second car. The greater speed and range will make the journey seem shorter. The Danish media is using the term pedalec for electric bicycles. Speed pedalec for the faster machines. An excellent choice in any language IMHO.

There is some logic behind the belief that using the cycle paths will speed the journey. But only in quiet times outside of normal commuting periods. At those times the narrow cycle paths are heavily populated by very slow cyclists with the lane discipline of a chimp. Worse, there are plenty of brain dead, selfish chimps who ride slowly and two abreast.

I hate riding my trike in Odense precisely because of all the slower cyclists. Most of whom do not have mirrors and routinely keep to the center of the path for their mobile meditation sessions. Overtaking these blind, deaf and dumb, "snails" is an exercise in frustration! No doubt they would drive in the middle lane on the motorway. If there was one.

Perhaps the minister should demand compulsory, rear view mirrors on the speed pedalecs? I wouldn't be without my offside, rear view mirror on my trike for more than 5 seconds. I am constantly checking it for overtaking vehicles. Since I choose to ride a wider machine, than normal,  I see it as my duty to allow larger vehicles to pass me easily. I will often use a junction or other handy pull-in to let buses and lorries pass and I often get a toot of thanks or a wave for my thoughtfulness.

The speed pedalecs are often going to be pausing to overtake a slower cycle with poor lane discipline. Which mans them slowing down to the speed of the "snail" until an opportunity arrives. It is highly likely that a following speed pedalec, or even a quick cyclist, will completely misjudge the situation and begin to overtake. Just as the first speed pedalec pulls out to overtake. BANG!!! Sorry mate I didn't see you because I wasn't looking behind me! Nor did I have proper mirrors because the law doesn't demand it.

Not having specialized "always on" lighting for speed pedalecs is also a wasted opportunity. A particular blinking rate, or pattern, could have been chosen to draw attention to the higher speeds to be expected from these machines. This would be absolutely vital information for drivers. Who often have only a fraction of a second to judge an  oncoming cyclist's speed before turning. Front number plates would be edge-on. Or only fitted at the rear. So offer absolutely no useful data for the stressed, rush hour driver to latch onto.

A properly sized and bright headlamp, designed for higher speed usage at night, would provide an instant warning that a faster cycle [speed pedalec] is approaching. Rather than an ordinary cycle with a typically feeble, birthday cake candle in a jam jar.  A proper front light would also be highly visible in many rear view mirrors.

Similarly, there is a great need for something more than  a feeble, bicycle bell to warn of the approach of a speed pedalec on a cycle path. There is nothing more likely to train and retrain a sleeping, zombie commuting "snail" than a proper and unique horn tone designed specifically for speed pedalecs. Not something irritating but a gentle warning to the "snail" to keep to the right [or left, as appropriate.]

An unmarked, un-plated, unlit, faster moving, electric bicycle needs far more than the clenched teeth and white knuckles of the terrified rider to show they are very different in both speed and acceleration. The time to get it right is now! Not once the bodies start piling up at the morgue and there is a major public backlash against all electric bikes!

Remember that there are millions of  pedestrians waiting to cross in front of millions of approaching cycles with the time-worn experience that all cycles travel v_e_r_y   s_l_o_w_l_y. Some very rude awakening is in store unless the speed pedalec is instantly recognizable from the front on its high speed approach.

The motor scooter and moped are usually loud enough to recognise instantly.  They always have much stronger lighting and often a pair of rear view mirrors on stalks. The zombie mobile phone walker may even pause before hurling themselves under the front wheel of the approaching scooter. How will you grab the attention of the zombie, mobile phone walker without visual or audible clues? A bit of cardboard rubbing in the spokes? Or have the rider carrying a brass megaphone to shout vroom-vroom!?!

Unfortunately the pampered ministers, in their chauffeured limos, have no experience of electric bikes in any shape or form. So they don't even know which are the vital questions to ask of their supposedly expert advisors. All of whom are likely to be car drivers themselves. Rather than regular, commuting cyclists, riding daily at the bleeding edge of battery-electric technology V the daily "snails."

It is said that authors should only write about what they know to avoid falling flat on their faces with silly ideas. Then surely it behooves the politicooze to know what they are dealing with when making new laws to match rapidly advancing, transport technology? Perhaps they still have plans for people with red flags to walk in front of the speed pedalecs? As a possible use for the unemployed? Perhaps to be armed with a horse shit shovel and a shoulder bag  to make them even more useful. No! That would be as daft as allowing electric motorbikes to travel at 120mph in built-up areas. What could possibly go wrong? 😉

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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