E-bikes, E-trikes and a Slightly New Idea for Going Places

  Darn it, it snuck up on me.  If it’d been a snake, the concept would have bitten me.  I’ve belatedly realized that the “e-bike” mini-revolution has resulted in more than just a pastime or exercise for some people,  E-bikes have given some seniors and others of limited financial means another fair option to get around.

 I’m noticing of lot of the same people day by day using e-bikes or in some cases, e-trikes.  You can get an e-bike from $400 – 800, and an e-trike for $500 – 1000.  (Of COURSE I priced stuff at Amazon.  Doesn’t everyone???)

 West Virginia and the Ohio Valley are good places in terms of terrain for those machines.  The natural pathways follow watercourses, so the pathways are obvious, though with some limitations.

  Now, with that being said, it is still perilous to operate any sort of two wheeled vehicle on the streets.  We usually lack sufficient street/sidewalk space to operate an e-bike (or conventional bike) safely.  We lack means to safely crack intersections.  There is an unfortunate under-appreciation for headgear.  Yes, they look ridiculous and cute in a bad way, but a head injury is . . . well, it’s darned inconvenient.  And the motoring public (i.e., about 80% of us) lacks a whole lot of awareness of vulnerable people while they are sitting in their nice steel cocoon.

 E-trikes are even trickier.  They generally have the 2-wheel-axle on the rear, which gives an operator a lot of stability problems, compared to fixing the 2-wheel axle on the front.  But the front axle presents a lot more cost due to the need for the turning axle to adjust in the rolling axis.

 The chances of a well-developed bike system a lá Florida or Southern California is not likely to happen here.   I well remember being on the floor of the West Virginia Senate (as an assistant or some such) in the early 70’s when the first “bicycle path” bill was argued.  It called for some limited, almost experimental, money, to be spent on bike trails/paths just to see if the concept was worthwhile.  The late Sen. James Davis from Marion County rose.  The senator I was sitting beside started laughing, telling me to “Watch this.”  Sen. Davis was recognized by the President of the Senate, Sen. (and later Justice) Bill Brotherton.  Sen. Davis “loved the  bill to death” by  proposing an amendment to add something like “, effective as soon as the Division of Highways certified to the governor that all roads have been repaired in West Virginia.”  The amendment passed on a voice vote and that was that for a loooong time.  Later, the only really successful bike paths have been situated on abandoned railroad rights-of-way, often with only county funding.   (See Note 1 – This medium doesn’t give me access to real footnotes.)  Those bike paths do not solve any real access to transportation problems.   Railroad rights-of-way go nowhere special, such as for grocery shopping or, heck, to Grandma’s House.  They are wonderful recreation – and fun - but not designed for efficient transportation.

  And that’s where bike paths stand, and now advances in technology changesthe apparent needs.  What else is new?  We always prepare to fight the last crisis, not the next one.  However, this is a time of budget schizophrenia in every government on this continent, so it will probably have to wait for a resolution.  (I know a good many people who are or have in the Legislature.  Folks, You and I know that the budget is seriously schizophrenic, so let’s not fool each other.)

  Oh, I later ran against Sen. Davis.  One of the best favors the public did me was to not vote for me.  Thereafter, I was involved in politics a lot (for both major parties and for numerous special interests, always with a certain twinkle in my eye and a tease in my voice) until laste until a few years ago.  But I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER again filed as a candidate.  (I did once get appointed to an elective office to fill a vacancy in what was billed as the Shortest Political Career in WV History.  Like the 13^th floor in a London Hotel, that is another story.)

Mizpah!

Hmm – the story of “Mizpah!”  Gotta tell that sometime.  Let me make a note to add it to other notes that I’ll probably never see again.  Random and Unpredictable Efficiency is my middle name.

Note 1 – “Rights-of-way” is meant in the general terms.  Don’t get me caught in the beloved mysteries of easements where I can drone on and on about the intimate details of property law.  I learned those from Londo Brown’s notes as interpreted by John Fisher, and those guys REALLY knew property law.