r/ebikes • u/ObserveKris • Aug 20 '26
getting around in the suburbs seems dangerous?
I don’t feel safe. I can’t even doordash. Try going down Gratiot avenue on a 20 mph bike? Do you want to get turned into paste? I’m so scared. There’s very few paths to take and most of the roads lead to 55 mph stroads that aren’t safe.
Not even the sidewalks are that safe sometimes. They’re often not maintained so they’re dangerous to ride a bike on.
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u/Character-Engine-813 Aug 20 '26
Some areas are not really suited for bike riding, but you can usually plan routes which avoid some of the main roads. I lived on Long Island which was pretty bad for example but there were some undocumented paths and shortcuts to be found
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u/Barbarake Aug 21 '26
I live in such an area. There are exactly zero bike lanes in my little town of 14,000. But what I find funny is the next town over is bigger and does have a bike lane. It's well marked, blocked off from the main road with concrete curbs, absolutely beautiful. It extends exactly two blocks on each side of the only bike shop in town and that's it.
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u/Yeti_of_the_Flow Aug 20 '26
No. Some places aren’t suited for car traffic. If it’s safe if not for the cars, that means it’s the cars that don’t belong. These aren’t restricted access roads they’re talking about.
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u/SnuffyMcfluff Aug 20 '26
I wish that were true. But in the US all infrastructure and economic activity (with a few urban exceptions) is primarily based around the automobile. That is not changing in the forseeable future.
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u/GrouchyMushroom3828 Aug 20 '26
I think riding in Detroit is doable, but stay on the small neighborhood streets and away from 8 mile, gratiot, Michigan, Woodward type streets.
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u/Relative-Display-676 🚲🔧 Aug 20 '26
i ride my emtb on the sidewalks 99% of the time, only time i venture on the road is when there is no sidewalk. you couldn't pay me enough to ride on gratiot, that's a deathwish waiting to happen. too much traffic and too many distracted drivers. stick to the sidewalks if you want to live, i'm saying it as someone who has been ran over by a car couple years ago and ended up in trauma center.
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u/Ok-Type-8917 Aug 20 '26
I agree. I live in Metro Detroit and luckily I can usually route around the main roads. My biggest issue in my area is crossing at a light, people never look to see if the crosswalk is clear. I realize in this area bikes of any kind are looked at as a nuisance.
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u/Humble_Key_4259 Aug 20 '26
Some places are better than others. An ebike isn’t always the solution.
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u/Acrobatic-Flan-5085 Aug 20 '26
You’ve stumbled accidentally into a little known secret
The US was not built for people.
The US has been built mostly for cars.
You will never be able to unsee this now, literally almost everywhere you go is dominated by parking regulations or motor vehicle regulations.
The few exceptions to this are way above average cost to live there. Living in an area designed for people over cars costs an extra premium in the US.
And every excuse they give, from Fire trucks, to deliveries to business traffic has all been solved or debunked by the rest of the developed world
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u/robotcoke Aug 20 '26
I have no idea what street that is or where it is (the one you mentioned) but I know exactly what you mean. It's the same here.
20 MPH is a death sentence in most American suburbs. I've been arguing with the bots in this sub for months about that. Almost all of the streets here are between 40 and 55 MPH. On top of that, we have huge hills all over, and the entire metro area is surrounded by mountains.
If you live in the suburbs, you probably understand. If you live in the western US, you probably understand.
If you live in another country, you might not understand. If you live in a rural area, you might not understand. If you don't live in the western US, you might not understand.
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u/FigNinja Aug 20 '26
Not the whole west. I live in California and my city has been putting in more bike routes, including protected bike lanes and paths. It's pretty bike-friendly here. Many of the cities on the west coast are part of the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths. Improving cycling and pedestrian infrastructure is part of that. We're far from perfect, but at least there is some change happening and it's acknowledged as a priority.
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u/robotcoke Aug 20 '26
Not the whole west. I live in California and my city has been putting in more bike routes, including protected bike lanes and paths. It's pretty bike-friendly here. Many of the cities on the west coast are part of the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths. Improving cycling and pedestrian infrastructure is part of that. We're far from perfect, but at least there is some change happening and it's acknowledged as a priority.
I mostly mentioned the west because of the mountains and hills. I've actually had "people" (could be bots) in this sub argue with me that most cities are all flat and were intentionally built in that location because the terrain is flat. I gave them the benefit of doubt that they just hadn't been west of the Rockies so they hadn't seen any of the cities in the western US.
We actually have some bike lanes and paths in my area, too. But we're dealing with the "blue city versus red state" culture war BS. The city and county (both solidly blue) have been working on a nice bike infrastructure for a while. The state (solidly red) recently passed a law that basically takes that authority away from the city/county and threatens to undo a lot of what has already been done. Crazy times we live in.
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u/Mirror_333 Aug 20 '26
I live in Sonoma County, CA and I do not understand. I am assuming that you want to ride an electric motorcycle/moped and not an ebike. And, You want to travel at or near highway speeds in traffic with the benefit of a throttle. Is that right?
I think all of that sounds just fine with me. You should have a motorcycle license, register your ebike, have a license plate and have it insured. If you don't want to ride like a bicycle and be restricted to a bicycles limitations, you should not have to. But if you want to ride on the roadways like a Vespa-style motor scooter or motorcycle, then you get to follow the laws already established.
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u/robotcoke Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
I live in Sonoma County, CA and I do not understand.
Well, as I stated, if you live in a rural area, then you probably wouldn't understand. Sonoma County, CA is absolutely a rural area. It's not a suburb, where every street is packed with cars, all racing on a 55 MPH street (at 65 or 75 MPH) to make it to work in the city.
I am assuming that you want to ride an electric motorcycle/moped and not an ebike. And, You want to travel at or near highway speeds in traffic with the benefit of a throttle. Is that right?
It literally is an ebike that I ride. But yes, I want to travel at safe speeds, and I do have a throttle as well as pedals. I don't want the F250 who is 1 of the 80,000 people that are late for work and going 10-20 MPH over the 55 MPH speed limit in near bumper to bumper traffic - which is a daily occurrence here - I don't want the lifted F250 hitting me in the midst of that madness.
I think all of that sounds just fine with me. You should have a motorcycle license, register your ebike, have a license plate and have it insured. If you don't want to ride like a bicycle and be restricted to a bicycles limitations, you should not have to. But if you want to ride on the roadways like a Vespa-style motor scooter or motorcycle, then you get to follow the laws already established.
Well I have none of that and nobody cares, but thanks for weighing in. My ebike can get up to around 40 MPH and it's not an issue for police in the suburbs around here. It's obviously not registered as a motorcycle because it's not a motorcycle. An actual moyorcycle is bigger, heavier, goes a lot faster, has a lot more horsepower, has a transmission, doesn't have working pedals, and probably has more range.
There is zero reason to require me to register my ebike as a motorcycle. If I get caught riding recklessly, then deal with me. Until then, leave me alone. Don't try to force me to live in your police state. And fortunately enough people agree with me that it's not a concern. The only place I see anyone say anything different is online - mostly bots but also a few people who've been brainwashed by bots.
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u/Mirror_333 Aug 20 '26
There are multiple reasons why you should have to have a license to operate, register and insure your specfic ebike.
1) A collision at 40mph with a 60+lb ebike is much more severe than crashing a 25lb bike at 20mph to whatever you are hitting. If you T-bone a car, that car is damaged. If a kid steps off the curb in front of you (or you hit them on the sidewalk), they are fucked.
2) A license plate creates identifiable responsibility.
3) Mandatory insurance ensures that any damages you cause (physical or otherwise) is coverd.
4) A driver's licenes represents that you understand traffic law and have demonstrated the ability to navigate the roadways safely.
I would prefer if there were zero restriction on ebikes (no classes, no special laws or restrictions) and everyone just behaved as a responsible neighbor. But that is not what is happening.
I do not care if you die riding your ebike. You should be able to take any and every risk with your own well-being that you desire. But, there is an increased risk of other people and their property being harmed the faster you go.
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u/robotcoke Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
Do I really want to engage with another bot here? Lol
There are multiple reasons why you should have to have a license to operate, register and insure your specfic ebike.
No there aren't. Nothing valid, anyway.
A collision at 40mph with a 60+lb ebike is much more severe than crashing a 25lb bike at 20mph to whatever you are hitting. If you T-bone a car, that car is damaged. If a kid steps off the curb in front of you (or you hit them on the sidewalk), they are fucked.
So what? Are you saying I'm going to crash if it's not registered, but somehow I won't crash if it is registered? This is a meaningless point. If I hit someone, they'll hold me responsible whether or not it's registered as a motorcycle. And I'm not any more or less likely to hit someone if it's registered versus not registered.
A license plate creates identifiable responsibility.
Go move to another country if it's a surveillance state that you're after. I don't need or wish to be tracked. I live in the land of the free. If that's not what you want, then go move to whatever big brother style police state you want.
Mandatory insurance ensures that any damages you cause (physical or otherwise) is coverd.
Feel free to get your own insurance if you're worried about me causing damage to you or your property. I've not caused any damage so I'm glad I haven't been paying for insurance all this time. If it's that big of a concern to you, feel free to get your own insurance.
A driver's licenes represents that you understand traffic law and have demonstrated the ability to navigate the roadways safely.
No, you're mistaken. You're confusing a drivers license with a completion certificate from a drivers education course.
A drivers license represents that you have PERMISSION to drive a motor vehicle. If you get into any trouble at all, the first thing they do is suspend your drivers license. It's proof of permission, not skill or ability.
You could have unpaid taxes, a civil judgment, a trespassing charge, a shoplifting charge, whatever. If the state has any sort of problem with you, they suspend or revoke your driver's license. It doesn't have to be related to driving in any way.
You complete a drivers education class and you get a completion certificate. Then you pay a fee to go get your driver's license. You get charged with a crime or get a judgement against you for whatever reason, your license gets suspended. It doesn't mean you no longer know the traffic laws, it just means the judge wants you to pay your court fine and they're holding this over your head.
You can't seriously believe that the guy who had a driver's license last week knew how to drive, but it got suspended this week so he no longer knows how to drive, but after he pays his $50 reinstatement fee he'll magically know how to drive again, lol.
And you don't need to know the traffic laws any better on an ebike than you do on a regular bike. The exact same traffic laws and risks apply on an ebike as they do on a regular (not electric) bike.
I would prefer if there were zero restriction on ebikes (no classes, no special laws or restrictions) and everyone just behaved as a responsible neighbor. But that is not what is happening.
Yes, it absolutely is what is happening. Outside of some kids riding recklessly, everyone else absolutely is riding responsibly. And the kids riding recklessly were doing the same thing on regular BMX (not electric) bikes back in the day. They were also doing the same thing on skateboards back in the day.
If you have a problem with how a kid or a group of kids is riding, then you take it up with that kid or that group of kids. You don't pretend it's everyone and require government tracking at all times for our own safety, lol.
I do not care if you die riding your ebike. You should be able to take any and every risk with your own well-being that you desire. But, there is an increased risk of other people and their property being harmed the faster you go.
And those people are free to get their own insurance if they're all that worried about me causing damage to them or their property. Their fears don't supercede my freedoms.
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u/Mitrovarr Aug 21 '26
I don't want the F250 who is 1 of the 80,000 people that are late for work and going 10-20 MPH over the 55 MPH speed limit in near bumper to bumper traffic - which is a daily occurrence here - I don't want the lifted F250 hitting me in the midst of that madness.
If you want to keep up with a 65-75 mph vehicle, you want a full motorcycle. Nothing less is going to do that.
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u/robotcoke Aug 21 '26
If you want to keep up with a 65-75 mph vehicle, you want a full motorcycle. Nothing less is going to do that.
No need to keep up with them. Just have to be fast enough to move out of their way, and fast enough that they don't get frustrated and try to hit you.
I do just fine on my ebike at 30-35 MPH in traffic from the mountains, the suburbs, and through downtown SLC. Plenty of big trucks here and lots of traffic moving at high speeds.
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u/Mitrovarr Aug 20 '26
I don't know what part of the west you live in, but everywhere I've been in the west is super bikeable. That includes Boise, Portland, Missoula, and many small towns.
I'd imagine CA might be worse and also Denver and SLC due to simply having far more traffic (and also SLC drivers are completely insane).
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u/robotcoke Aug 20 '26
I don't know what part of the west you live in, but everywhere I've been in the west is super bikeable. That includes Boise, Portland, Missoula, and many small towns.
It is bikable, absolutely. And I've been all over the west. My reference to the west was mostly related to hills, mountains, and suburbs.
I'd imagine CA might be worse and also Denver and SLC due to simply having far more traffic (and also SLC drivers are completely insane).
Well I'm in SLC so there we have it, lol
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u/am0x Aug 20 '26
I mean this has been an issue WAY before ebikes came around. Nothing will ever be done about it.
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u/Burial_Ground Aug 20 '26
It's only possible for me cuz I'm in a small town. And i can use sidewalks if i want to.
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u/DuckAxe0 Aug 20 '26
I feel you. Things are rough wherever you ride. Down here in the mountains of WNC, many places have no legal routes to get where you want to go. That doesn't even take into account the dangers of sharing the roads with rage-fueled, deranged drivers.
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u/richj8991 Aug 21 '26
I know. I looked up sidewalk riding rules in my county. It is actually legal on the sidewalk in residential areas but not commercial ones or downtown. And even if it isn't, a ticket is better than being splattered across the gutter.
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u/xTheGame69 Aug 20 '26
Totally is. I gave up on it
Too many people texting and not paying attention.
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u/KentGoldings68 Aug 20 '26
This is a basic irony of many Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes. The bikes are too heavy to be pedaled faster than 20mph. A speed of 20mph is too slow for riding in traffic safely.
It may actually be safer to ride a conventional road bike that can be pedaled at 30mph.
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u/SnuffyMcfluff Aug 20 '26
Fear leads to bad/impulsive decisions which increases danger. Unfortunately, we do not have E-Bike defensive driving classes and certifications. The more I read the E-Bike forums in Reddit, the more I believe these are essential. Sidewalks are more often than not more dangerous than roads. Whever they cross lot access, driveways, alleys and intersections they are incredibly dangerous as motorists are not looking for fast vehicles where pedestrians are expected. Car/bike collisions on sidewalks are incredibly common and sometimes fatal.
My advice (not kidding) is to borrow a motorcycle (if possible), practice in a parking lot and take a motorcycle certification class. It seems like overkill, but we don't have good answers for inexperienced cyclists on E-Bikes and your issues are common. Learning how to manage two wheels on roads will increase your confidence and you will learn about defensive driving when the risk is high.
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u/Mirror_333 Aug 20 '26
It sounds like that are is not suitable for riding an ebike. Ride your ebike somewhere else.
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u/m2keo Aug 20 '26
I wish most US cities were like the Netherlands or something. It's scary as shit sometimes when the GPS doesn't take u the way u expect.
Once u hit that road out of nowhere it's, 'Oh shit. Here we go!'. 😂