I am a 76 kg person and have 6 bikes. The heaviest of my bikes is 18.6 kg and it is an e-bike which I use to tow a trailer for shopping. I cannot get it anyway near as fast as on my road bikes; I can sustain 50km/hr plus for a reasonable length of time and can do far more damage in a collision compared to my fat boy self on my e-bike.
Whether someone is on an e-bike is not the issue, it is the skill, experience and the behaviour of the rider.
The bottom line is sharing a footpath with a cycle path where painted lines are the only separation is dangerous
Exactly. The electric assistance is useful but it does not mean the bicycle is either faster or the rider is less considerate to other people using the same routes. The most dangerous thing Iāve come across while cycling and motorcycling locally are dogs but I wouldnāt launch a hateful campaign against all dog walkers on the strength of that.
Interesting - friend in UK imported e-bike which does 45 mph. Not legal, but whoās to know?
But again e-bikes are no different to other cycles in that situation. I often walk in a town where there is a network of clearly defined cycle paths running alongside the footpaths. Iāve never once seen a bicycle of any sort on the pedestrian part but itās quite normal for pedestrians to spread out across both.
Slightly puzzled by that, why ever not?
Bells are a legal requirement in France, yet so many cyclists, both lycrists and others donāt have them. Iām mystified as to why so many cyclists are anti-bell.
Like with some many things in life adults are expected to take responsibility for their actions. Presumably if he is stopped and gets points on his driving licence for breaking road traffic laws he will hold his hands up and do just that. Itās amazing how many apparently law abiding people are quite happy to break the law when the laws donāt suit them. This seems rife when it comes to electrically powered bicycles, drones and things like that. In Europe, and I believe the U.K. there is a distinction between pedal assisted bicycles and electric bicycles that power themselves. The legal ones are those where the user has to turn the pedals to get assistance and are limited to 25kmh/15mph with assistance.
[quote=āDavid_M_Matthews, post:25, topic:51820ā]
Iāve never once seen a bicycle of any sort on the pedestrian part
Now that I cannot believe.
And thereās the danger.
Given the average walking pace of 4 miles per hour and the average pedestrian wearing no protective clothing while a cyclist mounted on a predominately metal framework travelling almost 4 times faster who comes off the worst when care and attention are lacking.
I understand your protective atitude towards the benefits of assisted cycling which indeed has brought many old timers back to the saddle, myself included, but equally I donāt understand why you brush away tge dangers like they donāt exist.
I find it hard to believe that you have ever ridden a pedal assist e-bike. You donāt seem to understand how they work. An e-bike can be ridden at less than walking pace. They are no more dangerous or difficult to control than any other bicycle.
But itās true. Thereās no need. Iām sorry you donāt believe my observations but why would I lie?
sounds delightfulā¦ but I have to ask the questionā¦ where might you be thinking of pitching your tent ???
I donāt have to move my hands from holding the bars if I call out, I can respond to a situation much more quickly without having to locate the bell push if I shout, and my voice is likely to be more informative than a bell. TBH a bell seems a slightly bizarre and romantic device to provide audible warning of approach when almost everyone has a voice.
The thread hasnāt become about your behaviour, itās about cyclists behaviour on shared footpathsand in a much more general sense. Basically within my and many other postersā experience, cyclists are unnecessarily problematic because many approach pedestrians silently from behind and then canāt be arsed to ring their bloody bell (in the unlikely event that they actually have one).
My e-bike is an essential addition to my camping car, perfect for collecting a baguette in the morning. Truth or lie 
Everyone recognises the sound of a bicycle bell.
And what do you shout when youāre in in France?
Cāmon a bellās simple and universal, whatās the problem with it?
Everyone, what ever their means of propulsion has their responsibilities.
I donāt cycle in France, but if I did then probably OI! followed by bonjour messrs et madames.
Iād never think to use one, and thatās not unique it seems - the bell is a redundant accessory.
As someone who has travelled to work by bike for many years, a polite greeting, normally, for me āguten Tagā is better accepted than a ring of a bell. A bell can be taken as get out of my way. Why do you need to shout?
Possibly in an emergency. If thereās no emergency then a polite request to be allowed to pass is much better - as you say, bells often smack of Gerroutofmywayyy!
To correct myself I normally say Ā«GrĆ¼ezi Ā»
Yes in an emergency I have a wide vocabulary.