• jenesaisquoi@feddit.org
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    6 days ago

    Then again, if a car with 200’000 Watts of power rolls through the same 30 km/h zone no one cares. So why should we care about bicycles?

    • HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.orgOP
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      6 days ago

      Because we don’t fall for whataboutism?

      It’s no question that car speeds in cities are going down - and need to go down for safety. And that’s no reason at all to make e-bikes significantly faster and make things less safe.

      And by the way: Further reducing the speed limits for cars, and making more space for normal bikes, including dedicated bike roads, would achieve exactly what most people which argue for higher e-bike speed limits presumably want: You get much faster to your destination. Again, the European bicycle capitals like Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Paris show how it is done.

      • asbestos@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Wrong. More watts doesn’t mean faster. Bosch eBikes go up to 750W but are locked at 25km/h. The power is used for uphill climbing ability and responsiveness to leg torque input.
        His point also stands. My car has 180.000 Watts and can easily go over 250km/h. Why isn’t it banned?

        • trepX@sh.itjust.works
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          6 days ago

          Because you need a driver’s licence for that car, but not an E-Bike. And you can’t use that car on segregated green lanes in cities amidst other cyclists and pedestrians.

          • jenesaisquoi@feddit.org
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            5 days ago

            Incorrect. A licence, registration, and insurance is required for electrically assisted bicycles capable of exceeding 25 km/h.

            • Successful_Try543@feddit.org
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              6 days ago

              And such an s-pedelec, by law, is no bicicle and thus, generally not allowed on dedicated bike lanes. So what’s your point?

              (Additionally, by e-bike they probably mean a 25 km/h limited pedelec, which is called E-Bike in German law.)

      • jenesaisquoi@feddit.org
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        6 days ago

        Exactly my point. The power of the vehicle is not relevant because the speed limit always applies.

        I’d rather have a 1kW bicycle at 30 km/h than a 200kW car at the same speed.