RE: It’s Time to Talk About E-Bikes Feature, 6/29
Thank you to David Sword for giving a nearly complete overview of what electric Bikes (e-bikes) are all about. Only piece missing is to remind us all that the word “electric” is a power source and used for the motor on the bike.
Electric bikes have motors. Some need a push (via pedal) some need only a button, even those with no throttle can go uphill without any need to pedal….because of the engine.
These are motor vehicles. Not bikes. These need to be simply regulated like mopeds or street bikes. And with this regulation the owner/operators will then know where and how to use these motorized vehicles correctly and legally. We need our city council to work on this before school starts.
—Richard Alleger
Close Call!!!! 3 Seconds!!!
I almost! Almost got hit by a kid on his electric bike.
1:30pm on sidewalk on Greenwood south side between Wall and Bond St.
He was at peak speed.
Who is next to get hit?
He did have a helmet on.
Beware of electric bikers.
Do they ride on sidewalks and bicycle lanes? Both? Or the road?
—Mike Ziegelmeyer
E-Bikes on Sidewalks
The girl on the e-bike was at least 30 ft. in front of me, before I realized she was on the sidewalk. She had passed me on left at a very fast speed, racing her two friends who were in the street and bike lane. Had I just walked a few inches to my left it would have been all over. She gave no notice, oblivious that it was a pedestrian only area. I get it, I was a kid once. Fun to bop along. Thing is, had she hit me the consequences could be very dire, certainly for me, and her too. No helmet, no gloves. I have had this happen numerous times, sometimes three on a bike. That’s a lot of weight. Parents need to act now! There will be deaths, and I am sure lawsuits. Of course they are minors, but the law should hold parents accountable. Have fun, stay off the sidewalks. Seems reasonable to me.
— Eric Hobart
Abolish Legacy Students
Maybe it’s time for a change. The Supreme Court has ruled that affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional. Race-conscious admission practices are gone. It’s time to get rid of nepotism which means legacy students wouldn’t have any advantage. Harvard apparently has a ridiculous 43% of white students that are either children of faculty, legacies, children of donors or recruited athletes. If they didn’t have that special status, 75% of these students would not have gotten in at all. Maybe it’s time for a change. This will help make the playing field more equal. Qualified people instead of privileged people will get accepted. This is America. It’s not fair to allow wealth to determine this decision. Abolish legacy students!
—Sandy Crippen
Admiration and Appreciation
I admire and appreciate the poor, the homeless and the street people for their significant contributions to our communities.
Survival and need, not greed.
Creative shelters such as tents, vehicles, camps, vans, not mega mansions depleting natural resources.
Water for consumption and cleanliness not swimming pools, hot tubs, golf courses, lawns.
Food from church groups, low-cost grocery stores, government subsidies not restaurants, bars, online specialty items.
Minimum carbon footprint walking, cycling, public transportation, carpooling, not assault vehicles to burn fossil fuels, intimidate, terrorize and endanger.
Work and jobs building, cleaning, recycling, maintenance, serving the privileged, not corporate unaccountable robots.
Shop locally, use it up, wear it out, make do, do without, not shop ’til you drop.
Drugs, alcohol consumption comparable to the community population but in public not in bars and homes.
Do no harm, not intimidation, assaults, violence, murder. Dignity “weapon” of choice, not guns.
Provide live, free street music, juggling, poetry, performance.
These are decent human beings struggling to survive in an inhumane system with policies to destroy their shelters, make their lives as miserable as possible and ultimately disappear them.
We profess our values. The poorest among us live those values.
—Sue Bastian
Letter of
the Week:
Thanks to all for their contributions this week. Sue, come on in for your gift card to Palate!
—Nicole Vulcan
This article appears in Source Weekly July 6, 2023.
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Thank you, Sue Bastian, for pointing out the truths about the humans in our community who are challenged by homelessness, which are so rarely noticed or mentioned. We who have more than we need must reframe how we see those who have less than they need.