As a Rivendell rider I’m after all accustomed to the bike store Blue Lug…
…although I had no concept that in addition they had a barber store:
I’m surprised that no one in New York Metropolis has thought to mix bikes and haircuts.
Oh wait, sure they’ve:
By no means thoughts.
In the meantime, right here in New York the e-bike backlash continues:
As ordinary, the controversy revolves round the truth that on one hand e-bikes make stuff barely simpler for previous individuals, however then again they suck:
And sure, I’m being intentionally reductive, so no want for Silas to weigh in along with his anecdote about how his e-bike means he now not has to take his children to gymnastics camp in an Uber.
In fact, we’ve seen all this earlier than–or a minimum of our velocipedist forbears have. Certainly, from the very first many individuals thought bicycles had been a nuisance, they usually had been banned from the parks accordingly:
On the identical time, now that so many bicycles are electrified the response has escalated accordingly too. NYPD crackdowns on scofflaw cyclists are additionally nothing new, each out and in of the park:
By the way in which, for those who suppose I’ve developed into some form of reactionary curmudgeon, please observe that I’ve all the time been a reactionary curmudgeon:
In addition to an astute futurist:
However sure, whereas there have all the time been crackdowns, now that the bikes are motorized automobiles used primarily for industrial enterprises the NYPD is supercharging its crackdowns by issuing prison summonses to riders:
And “common cyclists” are collateral harm”, because the NYPD metes out enforcement in its characteristically bewildering manner:
These dolphin-in-the-tuna-net incidents however, whereas as soon as individuals despised bicyclists as a menace, now that e-bikes have taken over they might now be coming to see us as not solely benign however positively quaint. Think about the pennyfarthing, erstwhile blight on the parks and now simply one thing you level at and smile whenever you see one on the 5 Boro Bike Tour:
Is that this a glimpse at our future as riders of purely human-powered bicycles?
In reality in some locations we’re so innocuous we’re now thought of pedestrians:
Clearly this gained’t cease individuals from hitting us, however possibly they’ll cease hating us.
Simply kidding:
They’ll all the time hate us.
