In Alexandria, Handy Bikes sees all kinds of riders opting for the e-bike.
In the bicycle scene in Alexandria, e-bikes are popular on the city trails providing they follow the city rules and common-sense guidelines to prevent accidents.
There was an accident though, outside Alexandria that drew some attention to e-biking. In late May, the Fairfax County Police Department was on the scene of a crash involving a vehicle and an e-bike at Cedar Lane and Electric Avenue in Dunn Loring. The adult male cyclist was taken to a local hospital in life-threatening condition, the police reported.
At Strictly E-Bikes on Washington Street, they say the city has a 28-MPH limit on any e-bikes operating on city streets. One of their most popular models is the “Segway MUXI” that comes with a basket up front and a rack in the back for carrying clothes to the office and a briefcase, for those bike commuters on the Alexandria streets. In the warm weather there are plenty of them.
On the Strictly E-Bikes blog, it lists "5 Mental Health Perks of Spring E-Biking," which includes movement that feels like freedom, breaking the scroll cycle on the computer, benefits of sunlight, riding together changes everything, and the brain craving newness. "The brain thrives on discovery and e-bikes expand your world just enough to make that easy," it says.
Handy Bikes in Alexandria has a wide selection of e-bikes as well as regular bicycles, and they have a webpage on safety that includes a section on e-bike safety. There’s a focus on traffic and pedestrians, while the "Take Care With Speed," section reminds riders of the new speeds associated with e-bikes. "Caution is key," it says.
Russell Cestone at Handy Bikes knows the speeds of e-bikes are an issue and when the cyclists aren’t following the rules, it can “give a bad name to e-bikes,” he said.
Fairfax County is aware that the speedy e-bikes are out there and recently posted a set of rules and recommendations titled "E-Bikes Gain Speed — Here’s What to Know Sharing the Road." There are more e-bikes out on the roads and trails these days, so their rules focus on speeds, yielding, and sharing the spaces. In Virginia, there are three classes of e-bike and for Class 3, the pedal assisted e-bike that goes up to 28 miles per hour, the rider must be at least 14 years old and must wear a helmet.
The county says that e‑bikes are generally allowed anywhere traditional bikes are permitted unless signs say otherwise. In most areas, that includes sidewalks.
FABB
The Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling recently published a blog post “Safe Trails for All: Responsible E-Bike Use Matters,” that offers safety recommendations. They focus on reports of reckless operation of high-speed e-bikes on local trails and shared-use paths.
FABB credits e-bikes for replacing car trips for some riders and enabling a wider range of people to ride that may be limited on a regular bike because of age or physical limitations.
But e-bikes are linked to an increase in injuries too. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon Brian R. Waterman, MD, “the risk of fractures, dislocations and head trauma increases as e-bike usage becomes more popular. The best protection starts with awareness, proper protection and responsible riding,” he wrote.
