Friday, August 5, 2011

Colombia is full of Power-Assisted/ Electric Bicycles

As I traveled to Colombia in July of this year I started noticing that many of the bicycles sharing the road with the automobiles were going to fast for a bicycle; yet the bicyclist didn't seem to be pedaling with much effort. It's then when I noticed a little something that looked like a motor. Sure enough... many of those are now equiped with a small gas-powered motor that assists the crank. There are so many electric and motor bicycles now on the roads of Colombia and every other country that I am starting to hear of new regulations for those on bike trails. A motor-assisted bicycle can reach speeds of up to 45mph or 72Kmph on a flat road. This is a considerable speed for any person traveling without the protection of a seatbelt, windshield, fenders, etc. In my opinion a bicycle that can reach such speed and shares the same roads with automobiles should be considered a motorcycle and should be regulated accordingly. Not only should it be regulated for the sake of the driver, but for the benefit of pedestrians.

What do you guys think?
On the Streets of Bogotá - Colombia

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