If E-Bikes Are the Future, Why Are They Illegal?

11/06/18 • 21 min

1 Listener

From coast to coast, electric-bikes are having their moment. But a New York City Police Department crackdown on delivery cyclists who rely on e-bikes to do their jobs has some wondering if a double standard isn’t at play. At a time when big companies are jumping on the e-bike bandwagon, are the immigrant men who deliver food being unfairly punished? We discuss the murky laws surrounding e-bikes and what the future has in store with Helen Ho of the Biking Public Project.

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EPISODE NOTES:

The Biking Public Project (Tumblr)

“One Man’s Fight to Regulate E-Bikes in His Neighborhood” (WNYC)

Who really gets fined when the police crackdown on e-bikes? (Gothamist)

Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek and Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.

Questions? Suggestions? Complaints about how much we curse? Email us! [email protected].

Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards.

Rate and review us on iTunes.

EPISODE NOTES:

The Biking Public Project (Tumblr)

“One Man’s Fight to Regulate E-Bikes in His Neighborhood” (WNYC)

Who really gets fined when the police crackdown on e-bikes? (Gothamist)

Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek and Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.

Questions? Suggestions? Complaints about how much we curse? Email us! [email protected].

Previous Episode

Cars and the Culture Wars

In 2009, soon-to-be Toronto Mayor Rob Ford declared that he would end the war on cars. His remarks were the opening shots in a battle that would come to signify more than just how people get around. How did cars and the urban/surburban divide become a cultural flashpoint? And did you know that a “War on Autoists” was front-page news a century before the War on Cars?

Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts and other rewards.

Rate and review us on iTunes.

EPISODE NOTES:

Rob Ford: “There’s no secret about it, there’s a war on cars in the city!” (YouTube)

“The War on Cars” by Prager U. (YouTube)

“Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City,” by Peter Norton (MIT Press)

"'War on Cars': A History" by Eric de Place (Sightline Institute)

Rob Ford: "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine." (YouTube)

Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek.

Questions? Suggestions? Want to be a part of our “Quit Your Car” segment? Email us: [email protected].

Next Episode

Quit Your Car: It's Zero Percent About Transportation.

When is a car not a car? When it’s a source of solace and comfort, a curbside living room and a personal aesthetic statement. This episode is brought to you “live” from the interior of a 1987 Cadillac DeVille as we hear from Alex Brook Lynn, the producer of FAQ NYC, about why she escapes to her car for a little private time amidst the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. What would it take for Alex to quit her car?

Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards.

Rate and review us on iTunes.

EPISODE NOTES:

Follow Alex Brook Lynn on Twitter.

Listen to the FAQ NYC podcast.

Almost half of Americans (45%) go to their car to have a private moment. (Fast Company/IKEA)

Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke.

Questions? Suggestions? Complaints? Talk to us: [email protected].