A copy of my response to Bill Kingston’s Commentary . On the Cornwall Daily. What people have spoken. Whizzing I don’t think so.
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Traveling respectively yes . No less a problem than some of the regular bikes who cause their share of incidents. Name me one incident where an e-bike has caused harm or injury to anyone that can be verified . All the unsubstantiated allegations by people who have no first hand knowledge of e-bikes is nothing but hearsay. Forcing these vehicles on to the roadways where 2 tons of metal
traveling at various speeds on our roads and highways is irresponsible.
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I have seen a few car and bike collisions near my residence and it was not a pretty thing to witness. Everyone needs the right to use this asset. The complaints are unfounded and unfair regarding e bikes. These vehicles are allowed in other communities and have not created any safety issues except for those made up by people who dislike them. These bikes are all equipped with lights, sounding devices and an excellent braking system which is more than most of the regular bikes have.
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There are many children riding around Cornwall still not wearing head gear and most bikes with no sounding devices. Many adult bike riders are still traveling the sidewalks of the city endangering the safety of pedestrians. I witness these infractions every single day. These bylaws are not being enforced,so why create more that puts undo pressure on our officers who have many more important
issues to address.
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You hit the nail on the head. Well written and I agree. Banning something without any proof is foolish in this day and age.
More children will be going to hospitals this year by not wearing or having an improperly fitted helmet in Ontario than all the e-bike accidents in North America.
If we are truly concerned about safety, just the helmet issue will prevent more injuries than any issue revolved around ebikes.
This issue isn’t really about safety. It’s about confrontation and entitlement. It just isn’t in the nature of Cornwallites to compromise or share and they love confrontation. It would be reasonable for e-bikers to recognize the rights of pedestrians and vice versa and share the recreation path. People strolling with their children feel entitled to use the entire path and e-bikers don’t want to have to slow down or swerve to avoid anything in their path.
If the majority of the users of the recreation path showed a little courtesy then we wouldn’t be even talking about this issue.