Comments
goodmorning_hamlet t1_iudp1jj wrote
It’s wild how rarely my pedal operated bicycle catches on fire.
TheSkyIsFalling09 t1_iudq3ar wrote
Ban them. They are basically scooters and them riding on the bike lane is dangerous since they don't stop
TheSkyIsFalling09 t1_iudq4a6 wrote
Ban them. They are basically scooters and them riding on the bike lane is dangerous since they don't stop
MyGoalOf1811 t1_iudt3jm wrote
Delivery drivers buying cheap e bikes. This is what happens
The_Question757 t1_iudty43 wrote
The ebike industry is largely unregulated. If there is any aspect that should have strict guidelines it's the damn batteries. I also wonder if someone has a container that can safely store such batteries and in case of a fire extinguish then. Lithium fires are no joke
haymonaintcallyet t1_iudu6y1 wrote
unfortunately this is the case.
ahintoflime t1_iuduxvo wrote
Start forcing people to charge their e-bikes outside in the rain and you'll start seeing a lot more battery fires lol
_Maxolotl t1_iudvq8d wrote
some of the scooters sold by the Fly Ebike chain of stores are very poorly made.
You're not gonna see a lot of Bosch system batteries catching on fire. They disable themselves and flash alerts on the bike screens if they have even a brief short between their contacts.
the problem is not batteries in general, it's that we haven't got a good way of rating quality control yet.
Underwriters Laboratories has recently started certifying batteries. As this becomes the norm, maybe a UL listing would be a good way to decide if a battery is allowed in the building.
But there's an unsolvable problem with this anyway: If buildings ban ebikes, what will happen is people will lock the bikes up outside, and take the batteries inside to charge them anyway. Batteries are not big. No building is going get away with searching everybody's bags.
So if we want to address this safety issue, banning bikes from buildings isn't going to work. Upgrading fire protection standards in bike rooms will help.
And a PSA campaign in multiple languages explaining how to be safe with batteries will help too. We do the same thing for space heaters.
_Maxolotl t1_iudw5p9 wrote
Which is why a multi-lingual PSA campaign about battery safety is probably an important part of solving this problem.
TeamMisha t1_iudwb5t wrote
There was discussions during the NYCHA fires. I don't remember the consensus. My personal take, if this can be addressed with regulation (batteries) and education (how to safely charge), that would be better than just banning them outright. I wouldn't want unscrupulous riders causing fire risks in my building but there is plenty of responsible ebike owners too.
hollow-fox t1_iudwntv wrote
The issue is becoming too politicized.
The folks on the right see ebikes as a threat to free parking spaces and car centric NYC because they can be a legitimate car replacement so they over hype the risk.
The folks on the left ignore all the risks of battery fires and just make it about deliverista rights.
There is a sensible middle ground of regulated batteries and incentives to help ease the burden of higher quality and regulated bikes / bike batteries.
_Maxolotl t1_iudwo7n wrote
Two or three times a week, a car kills somebody in NYC. Ban them.
spiderLAN t1_iue1lbw wrote
The only fire thing about my bike be these glutes 🔥
bloodhound725 t1_iue5fiw wrote
You’re pulling this out of your ass. Who isn’t concerned about the risk of FIRE??
nyrangers30 t1_iue9hwg wrote
Car engines aren’t exploding inside apartment buildings.
22thoughts t1_iue9wyd wrote
22thoughts t1_iuea3ut wrote
Unfortunately, people are always putting politics before reason these days
22thoughts t1_iueaac7 wrote
Well, those folks are kinda extreme. Maybe there’s a way we can have outdoor charge stations that are still shielded from the elements
ji99lypu44 t1_iueaf9p wrote
Omg i see so many of the fly e bikes with people riding around like maniacs here.
HashtagDadWatts t1_iueb53r wrote
Who are these people on the left you speak of? Can you link us to them saying we should ignore fire hazards?
HashtagDadWatts t1_iuebegi wrote
You might want to check those subs before spouting off next time. Both of them have a bunch of threads about battery fires.
Leather-Heart t1_iuec27t wrote
We need to stop producing junk - is literally just a waste and creates trash.
PZeroNero t1_iuec6pc wrote
What the fuck does that have to do with e-bike. Are you saying delivery people should switched to non-electric bikes. I’m sure most would especially as it cheaper. But your spoke out of you ass and raise why someone riding around all day for work would prefer electric.
Leather-Heart t1_iuec6tf wrote
OMG the mayor should totally address that…..and I forgot: we have no mayor.
#We Have No Mayor?!?
nyrangers30 t1_iued70q wrote
Ok and how many fires that resulted in deaths from batteries just this year alone should I post?
Don’t make this about cars vs bikes. Batteries can be improved, that is all. Take your cult-like mentality to the micromobility sub if you don’t think there’s any room for improvement.
StrngBrew t1_iuee9w4 wrote
Literally none of this true. What are you even talking about?
Maria-Stryker t1_iueecc1 wrote
Especially when you combine that with the sheer volume of delivery people we have. Statistically speaking, the thing that gets used the most will have more accidents
StrngBrew t1_iueeew2 wrote
While he’s at it also link us to the people that think e-bikes are a threat to… parking?
HEIMDVLLR t1_iueej5h wrote
No it’s not, https://www.reddit.com/r/MicromobilityNYC/comments/y9srbk/my_building_in_fidi_banned_scooters_in_the/, go ahead and read the comments!
StrngBrew t1_iueeu4c wrote
Maybe if the article had a picture of anything in a bike lane it would have more than 3 upvotes?
HashtagDadWatts t1_iuefkng wrote
>Don't make this about cars vs bikes
Check out a mirror, my dude. All I did was correct your misstatement.
BIGTIMElesbo t1_iuefstw wrote
Thank you for mentioning Fly. The batteries on those make me quite nervous. The ebike sub has tons of diy folks who make their own batteries or buy cheap random ones online. I cannot express enough how nervous it makes me. Manufacturers like Ariel Rider and Juiced make quality bikes with a lower price point than Fly in some instances. There’s a argument to be made for these companies to invest advertising in this city. I’m a huge fan of the new electric citibikes as well. They’re a blast to ride in addition to being practical. Free the e-bikes, BUT safely!!
HashtagDadWatts t1_iueftqh wrote
You said that you won't see articles about battery fires on those subs. That was a lie.
HashtagDadWatts t1_iuefxtk wrote
I have no idea what this comment means or how it's relevant to the string above.
Nef_Fets t1_iuegmij wrote
This happened recently in Sunnyside
https://sunnysidepost.com/fire-rips-through-sunnyside-bike-store-thursday
WickhamAkimbo t1_iuej44y wrote
Accurate about sneaking scooters and batteries into buildings though. There are comments in the link above talking about bribing doormen.
hollow-fox t1_iuek9qy wrote
NYCHA literally reversed the decision to ban them in public housing due to deliverista rights. It would be fair to say given the current administration and the backlash is coming from the left.
On the right, the NY post has a well documented war on ebikes. A quick google search on ebikes and ny post will show you the depth of car brained insanity.
Edit: example from the right
https://nypost.com/2022/05/14/beware-the-e-bike-menace-in-nyc-they-must-be-banned
dhdhdfjffjj t1_iuekmr0 wrote
That’s surprisingly low
BxGyrl416 t1_iuemy4r wrote
Those aren’t plugged into outlets in residential buildings, so I’d imagine not.
StrngBrew t1_iuenhar wrote
You tried to post it as proof but it has almost no upvotes. Meanwhile the entire sub is pictures of something blocking a bike lane with hundreds of upvotes
Really your post proved OPs point.
HashtagDadWatts t1_iuepmi9 wrote
If he wanted to complain about people not liking policies of their landlords, he could've done that without lying.
HashtagDadWatts t1_iueprae wrote
The comment I replied to didn't say anything about upvotes, so again, I don't get your point.
stealthflight23 t1_iueyr8e wrote
Batteries have questionable lifespan too. Bought a used electric scooter for my son. Unknown to us, battery was on its last lifespan, needed replacement. Got two weeks out of it. Seller knew what they were doing.
gigawort t1_iuezbnw wrote
They didn’t just know what they were doing, they scammed you.
The_Question757 t1_iuf0dtk wrote
Part of the lack of battery regulation for these things. A lot of them aren't easy to separate, a lot don't have overcharge protection, don't have overheat protection, poor wiring/ waterproofing as well.
Helpy___Helperton t1_iufeern wrote
haha "we"
bklyn1977 t1_iufhas7 wrote
Your example 'from the right' is about reckless operation of e-bikes with zero accountability. It has nothing to do with where they are parked.
Precious_Tritium t1_iufhoh9 wrote
He won’t do anything he can’t fit into text on the back of a jacket.
NKtDpt4x t1_iufqui0 wrote
Peek into any ebike shop in Chinatown and you'll see a huge array of batteries being charged simultaneously. Are we supposed to trust the shopkeepers aren't leaving these unattended while charging overnight? I wouldn't feel safe renting an apartment with an ebike shop on the ground floor.
Accomplished_Pie_153 t1_iufwyip wrote
a lot of far left folks don't like ebikes. they still use electricity and create tons of waste. they get in the way of walkability, which should be the first priority.
even banning all cars from manhattan is sensible and perfectly reasonable if you consider health, cancer, asthma, climate change, sustainability, politics of oil, aesthetics, walkability and fairness, property value. Not to mention, the million+ car-related deaths per year around the world. 1 Billion car-related serious injuries or deaths per century.
Accomplished_Pie_153 t1_iufyh8v wrote
read r/fuckcars and see their tweets. probably just due to auto industry lobbyists. but generally, many republicans oppose anything that makes cities more walkable, healthier, greener, etc.
but at the same time, a lot of far-right people are the ones on e-bikes. they are poorer, not worried about electricity consumption and they are "bros" in the jobs that use ebikes more, such as delivery.
ZA44 t1_iufynh8 wrote
IndyMLVC t1_iugjriq wrote
My building has a store attached to it. To say i'm nervous is an understatement.
Revolutionary-Box752 t1_iugk6zs wrote
I wish all these scooters and ebikes catch fire with there dumbass owners....
IndyMLVC t1_iugkgvz wrote
That's what I'm dealing with
Spirited_Touch6898 t1_iugrrwp wrote
Yep, consumer can’t really tell what is good or bad. Unfortunately the only way to fix that is ban sales of all ebikes that didn’t pass a certification of some sort. This will add an additional cost though
woodcider t1_iuh2zfq wrote
Why am I surprised that someone managed to be stupidly racist in the comments?
woodcider t1_iuh3cee wrote
You have no proof of leftist not liking e-bikes. You’re pulling this entire argument out of your ass.
Accomplished_Pie_153 t1_iuh3yki wrote
https://www.reddit.com/r/bikedc/comments/a2ug7n/ebike_discrimination/
this is real shit. is it really that surprising?
woodcider t1_iuh9u1v wrote
You have no proof that those three measly people were leftists. Just stop with the silliness.
Accomplished_Pie_153 t1_iuhaex7 wrote
sorry with the silliness. 100% of cyclists who hate ebikes must be Right wing until proven otherwise.
woodcider t1_iuhbgxs wrote
It’s not an either/or. This is why it’s stupid to politicize non-political things.
Accomplished_Pie_153 t1_iuhdas2 wrote
they said it was right wing. i said it could also be left. it's both. that's the reality, which is more complex than black/white.
Fantastic-Bug-2304 t1_iuhgn62 wrote
Love it ! Not a big fan of these dangerous means of travel
Fantastic-Bug-2304 t1_iuhgvvv wrote
Fantastic-Bug-2304 t1_iuhhunm wrote
Try riding you’re bike on the Williamsburg bridge and be almost killed by scooters
CasinoMagic t1_iuhi5tr wrote
Agree
We should ban cars
Fantastic-Bug-2304 t1_iuhicoe wrote
I own two cars and I still say ban cars in Manhattan
hollow-fox t1_iuhqqtm wrote
Don’t be obtuse. The threat to free parking is bike lanes not ebike parking. Ebikes have made cycling both more accessible and effective as a means to get around the city. Their mass adoption warrants the need to adapt infrastructure to accommodate the demand.
Thus the logical next step is to perform road diets and create protected bike lanes to increase micromobility throughout the city as opposed to maximizing very inefficient cars that take up much space to accommodate what is usually one driver.
This is a huge threat to car dealerships who overwhelming contribute to conservatives candidates. and also why conservatives are against congestion pricing etc. See the open data below.
hollow-fox t1_iuhriyg wrote
Sure it takes some critical thinking and I realize you can’t expect that from Reddit but here it goes:
The threat to free parking is bike lanes not ebike parking. Ebikes have made cycling both more accessible and effective as a means to get around the city. Their mass adoption warrants the need to adapt infrastructure to accommodate the demand.
Thus the logical next step is to perform road diets and create protected bike lanes to increase micromobility throughout the city as opposed to maximizing very inefficient cars that take up much space to accommodate what is usually one driver.
This is a huge threat to car dealerships who overwhelming contribute to conservatives candidates and also why conservatives are against congestion pricing etc. See the open data below.
hollow-fox t1_iuhs90a wrote
I’ll copy my reply above:
NYCHA literally reversed the decision to ban ebikes in public housing due to deliverista rights. It would be fair to say the current administration and the folks backlashing to the ban identify as the left.
This is to say that there is a heavy contingent of folks on the left who will fight to continue having ebikes in public housing even if there is no regulation. It’s not a question of ignoring fire risks just that there are folks on the left who say the rights of deliveristas are > the fire risk hazards at the moment.
If that wasn’t true, then why reverse the policy without first implementing standards?
HashtagDadWatts t1_iuhsr7m wrote
So before the accusation was:
>The folks on the left ignore all the risks of battery fires
And now its:
>It’s not a question of ignoring fire risks
So you've basically made my point for me.
Pomfins t1_iuht085 wrote
Bike rooms are generally found in newer offices and apartments, generally not where a line share of delivery workers are living. I doubt NYCHA will invest in all the contracting work and building materials and contractors required to tear apart the room and get it up to electrical fire proof standards.
Edit* misspelling
AceofJax89 t1_iuht9o7 wrote
Looks like it's happened when they were first rolling them out in thier repair facility. I assume conditions are much better now: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-citi-bike-e-bike-fire-20190326-kmvl5iwk3zbadovmwrlkydcyom-story.html
hollow-fox t1_iuhta6p wrote
Effectively reversing a policy without imposing any regulations or standards is “ignoring the risk”
My latter point is that there are of course folks who fear for fire risks of unregulated batteries. But they do not value that fear over the rights of deliveristas.
AceofJax89 t1_iuhtd5q wrote
Yes, but less cost than buildings burning down. Some risks society doesn't let us take, and that's ok.
AceofJax89 t1_iuhttif wrote
Cars actually kill more people, so we should ban them too then
StrngBrew t1_iuhtznk wrote
Bike lanes have been made all over the city and almost none have replaced any parking.
Classic correlation doesn’t equal causation. Even your own link explains it lol! You’re stretching to create some kind of both sides boogeyman to make owning an e-bike some kind of virtuous act.
If you want to ride a battery powered bike, that’s fine. You’re not making a political statement, you’re not sticking to Trump, you just don’t have to peddle as much. Enjoy yourself and stay safe.
HashtagDadWatts t1_iuhu7oh wrote
It's not, that's dishonest hyperbole. Your conclusion assumes that a (likely unenforceable) ban is the only policy approach available, which of course is wrong. There are other items being considered and, meanwhile, active outreach and education occurring, including: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/consumer-alert-attorney-general-james-urges-new-yorkers-follow-e-bike-safety-tips
hollow-fox t1_iuhvm3u wrote
Literally what I and many other activists fight for is removing free parking to open up the city for people centric infrastructure which yes includes more bike lanes. Right now the the bike lane infrastructure is not sufficient and to make it adequate for demand will require removing free parking. Cycling also continues to grow:
That isn’t a correlation question, thats just math of square footage of space used by free parking versus the opportunity cost. Here is a great resource for this.
Data aside, I actually do believe someone who chooses to use an ebike as opposed to buying a car, should be held in high esteem for making a pro environmental choice while also taking about much less space in our city.
StrngBrew t1_iuhwfvv wrote
Well at least you admit it!
brianvan t1_iuhxacw wrote
Don’t worry, a lot of people want your pedal-operated bike to be banned too, right after these ebikes are banned first.
(Not that I agree with such lunacy; making the point that most of the people in a rage about this are just the people who hate everything. There’s so few of them that the same 20 people keep popping up to complain in the newspapers)
brianvan t1_iuhxqy4 wrote
Some are already certified. It’s not THAT much of a problem.
It would impact gray-market bikes for sure, but, mostly delivery people are buying those, and maybe the city should go to the root of the problem: restaurants forcing delivery staff to buy their own ebikes but then paying low wages off the books
brianvan t1_iuhxss4 wrote
Or car fires?
jddh1 t1_iui0zu5 wrote
hot glutes
NKtDpt4x t1_iui8xq4 wrote
Sorry dude. Landlords are scum.
IndyMLVC t1_iui94ob wrote
What can I do? Nothing. It makes me uncomfortable but I just have to hope for the best.
jerronymous t1_iuika1m wrote
Crazy talk! Who ever heard of paying delivery people a decent wage!?
Past_Doubt8919 t1_iuiyttg wrote
2 words . ..go gas..lol
Helpy___Helperton t1_iuj23wj wrote
你们
特别是你。
Helpy___Helperton t1_iuj2o0d wrote
i just time traveled back from manhattan where I was watching the tragic e scooter building fire of 2022 and I got to say, they should've seen it coming.
bklyn1977 t1_iuj2z57 wrote
I don't care if every street was a no parking zone. You lack the ability to have nuanced thinking.
nirvember t1_iuj7ali wrote
I found this out the hard way a month ago. A neighbor “parked” his bike right by my bedroom window (basement level apartment) and it exploded into flames at 3 in the morning. It was terrifying. I felt the heat in my bedroom and heard my window cracking. Room all lit up orange. I yelled at the owner and he said NO it wasn’t the fact that he was charging it from his first floor apartment window, it’s the battery, they explode all the time duh! He’s not stupid at all for knowing that and putting it next to someone’s bedroom window! 🙄
The_Lone_Apple t1_iudltom wrote
So more often than not it's an owner who thinks it's just plug anywhere with any equipment available that fits and that's all they need to do.