Pros and cons of the e-mobility boom
E-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motos are all over our streets (and sometimes sidewalks). How are the rules of the road changing accordingly?
Listen 51:11
An Indego bike dock at Race Street Pier. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
The number of e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles surged in the last decade. Advocates say they’re greener, cheaper, and more affordable – especially given current gas prices. But critics argue they’re inviting chaos onto our roads and sidewalks, pointing to traffic accident data, e-bike-related ER visits and high profile crashes.
Regulation has been slow and piecemeal as lawmakers struggle just to define these bike-like things — where does an e-bike begin and an e-moto end? What about scooters? Do they belong in the bike lane or the road? Should kids be allowed to use them?
Today, we’re tackling a real live wire: electric micromobility and the future of our roads.
Guests:
- Sophia Lebowitz, reporter for Streetsblog
- John Boyle, research director at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
- Tim Kearney, Pennsylvania state senator representing the 26th District
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