Footloose, for e-bikes? The US town that banned all electric bicycles
As electric bicycles skyrocket in popularity and adoption rates soar, nearly everywhere in the US is seeing a higher number of e-bikes used for transportation. That is, except for one town that banned e-bikes and e-scooters devices altogether.
The Village of Key Biscayne, an island community in south Florida, has permanently implemented an emergency ban on electric bikes and e-scooters that was first implemented several months ago.
Key Biscayne is known as a hub of car alternatives, most popularly golf carts, which cruise the streets just as commonly as larger vehicles. Electric bikes have also become a popular form of transportation on the island, at least until they were banned this year after a local tragedy.
The original emergency ban was rushed into place back in February, just two days after the death of admired local tutor Megan Andrews, 66.
Andrews was riding a pedal bicycle at night when she was involved in a fatal collision with an electric bike rider. The twelve-year-old e-bike rider also involved in the collision was on his way to soccer practice and claimed not to see Andrews, who police said was riding a bike without lights and not wearing a helmet. The medical examiner ruled the collision accidental.
The town quickly enacted a temporary ban against all electric bicycles and motorized scooters, which was ultimately amended into a permanent ban on these micromobility vehicles.
Many community members laud the new ban after long bemoaning the high number of young riders traveling the roads and sidewalks on high-speed electric bicycles.
Some locals had already petitioned the city for months, encouraging stronger regulations to rein in such behavior.
On the other hand, many other residents lamented the new ban, which has stifled local use of the country’s fastest-growing form of alternative transportation.
According to the Key Biscayne Independent, local mayoral candidate Charles Collins would like to see micromobility vehicles viewed as a solution for the island instead of as an issue. Collins believes that e-bikes can help reduce traffic and improve transportation, explaining that every trip a child takes on an e-bike saves a parent’s round trip in a car.
Electrek’s Take
I don’t mean to make light of a tragedy, but this entire scenario is eerily similar to Footloose. A fatal road accident in a small community results in longer-serving elders enacting a knee-jerk reaction to ban a perceived threat popular among younger members of the community instead of addressing the root of the issue. It’s textbook. Replace dancing and popular music with e-bikes and e-scooters, and it doesn’t take six degrees of separation to get there.
And as we learned at the end of the movie Footloose, (spoiler alert) the central lesson is about the importance of balance between tradition and change. The story culminates in the realization that while traditions and rules are important for maintaining order and values within a community, they should not stifle the freedom and growth of the younger generation. The story ultimately conveys that open-mindedness, understanding, and compromise can lead to a harmonious and vibrant community where different generations can coexist and thrive.
Look, every cycling death is tragic and no one disputes this. But I’m not sure that banning electric bikes and e-scooters is the answer. In fact, if we want a quick and simple solution to cycling deaths, it would make more sense to ban cars, since more cyclists are killed by car drivers than e-bike riders.
But the better answer is a compromise built around education and enforcement. When cars became popular a century ago, they were quite dangerous. Drivers drove them dangerously and many people suffered for it. So traffic enforcement increased along with driver’s education. That’s the answer here. The helpful new technology of e-bikes shouldn’t be banned, it should be regulated in order to benefit from its incredible value.
There are instructional classes for e-bike riders who haven’t received a driver’s license. Age limits can be created to keep obviously too-young kids off of e-bikes. Helmets and lighting can be required to help save lives. Just a single one of those policies likely would have changed the outcome of the accident that led to the Key Biscayne e-bike ban.
I know drivers often complain about e-bike riders breaking traffic laws, riding through red lights, etc. We already have a solution for this: traffic police. It’s just as illegal to blow through a red light on a bicycle as it is to do it in an SUV. It’s the same traffic ticket, and it’s an expensive traffic ticket. That ticket, or just the fear of one, makes those brake levers seem like a much better idea. Where I live, sidewalk-riding can get you a hefty fine, and once enough people knew someone who got slammed with that ticket, sidewalk-riding rates plummeted.
So let’s all agree that outright bans aren’t the right answer to a tool that is otherwise so useful and beneficial. Because if we get all ban-happy, there are a lot bigger fish to fry before e-bikes.
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On today’s informative episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Honda engineers Jason Hwang and Emilio Sanchez to talk us through some of the things that make the GM Ultium-based Honda Prologue EV feel like a real Honda, and why that matters.
Jason and Emilio talk about some of the choices they made to make the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX feel different from its GM-branded cousins, and explain why this was much more than a case of badge-engineering. Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of the Prologue and ZDX in the comments.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Learn more by clicking here.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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The first EV charging hub funded by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program in the Eastern US is now online in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The town installed the region’s first DC fast chargers (four ports), along with four Level 2 chargers, at 59 North Main Street in South Deerfield.
These new charging stations, funded with $2.46 million from the CFI program, are conveniently located near Interstate 91 in Franklin County, the most rural county in Massachusetts, which serves drivers from Connecticut up to the Canadian border.
The hub also features local and regional bus stops and designated bike lanes with secure onsite bike racks. The chargers are meant to cater to everyone: from local residents and visitors to municipal EVs and commercial vehicles that service the region’s businesses, like those in food and beverage manufacturing.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, sees this as a model for future projects:
Multi-modal charging hubs in communities are key to giving more people the choice to ride and drive electric. The Town of Deerfield is showing leadership in building out convenient charging infrastructure that brings new transportation choices to rural and disadvantaged communities while supporting local commerce.
In recent years, Deerfield has experienced increased climate change-driven flooding from nearby rivers, including the Deerfield River, the Connecticut River, and the Bloody Brook. The project incorporates environmental engineering designed to mitigate and adapt to the effects of flooding and climate, including the installation of permeable asphalt and rain gardens, planting of native trees, grasses, and shrubs, and the creation of new greenspace in the center of Deerfield.
The Biden-Harris administration’s CFI Grant Program is expanding EV infrastructure nationwide. It offers grants for projects that complement and expand upon the initiatives of the NEVI program in urban, rural, and disadvantaged and low-income communities. So far, the CFI Grant Program has allocated over $1 billion to nearly 100 projects across the US, encouraging private investments and expanding the EV charging network to make EV ownership more practical and convenient.
Read more: The US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports
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Kia’s upcoming EV4 electric sedan was just spotted testing in the US for the first time. The low-cost EV is expected to make its big debut by the end of the year. Here’s a look at the new model.
The EV4 will round out Kia’s new “EVs for all” master plan launched last year. Kia showcased three new models, the EV3, EV4, and EV5, during its first annual EV Day in October 2023.
During the event, Kia outlined its new global strategy to “lead and accelerate the EV revolution” with a wide range of models priced from $30,000 to $80,000.
Kia plans to rapidly expand its lineup with a series of smaller, lower-priced models. It launched the EV9, its first three-row electric SUV, which is already proving to be a hot seller in the US. Starting at under $55,000, the EV9 is still a great deal compared to others in its class, but Kia plans to go even lower.
The EV3 and EV4 are expected to be among the most affordable electric vehicles when they arrive in the US.
Kia’s new EV4 is now testing in the US
Ahead of its official debut, Kia’s new EV4 sedan was recently caught driving on US streets for the first time.
The latest image from KindelAuto doesn’t reveal much more than what’s been shown in the past, but the fact that it’s now testing in the US is significant.
Kia’s EV3 is already on sale in Korea, starting at around $30,000 (42.08 million won). Earlier this week, the company said its new compact SUV is now available across Europe, starting at around $38,000 (36,000 euros) with a “segment-leading range” of up to 375 miles (WLTP).
Next up will be the EV4. Kia is expected to officially reveal the new EV by the end of the year, with deliveries starting in 2025. It could be as soon as next week at the 2024 LA Auto Show.
The interior will feature Kia’s advanced new ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens. An otherwise minalimalistic design is expected inside.
Kia’s EV4 will also be available in a hatchback variant. Although the hatch is likely aimed at European buyers, it was also recently spotted testing in the US for the first time.
We will learn official prices closer to launch, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia is teasing five new vehicles for the US, at least one being a new EV, that will debut at the LA Auto Show next week. Will it be the EV3? EV4?
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