Motorized bike in bike lane
To the guy going south on Wells this morning on a giant motorized chopper-style bicycle -- get out of the bike lane! I'm sorry it takes you like 10 minutes to get up to speed (causing all of the bikes to get stuck behind you in your exhaust), but once you get going, you are flying along at like 30 mph. So, you're either going way too slow for the bike lane or too fast. Not cool - either start pedaling or get stuck in traffic with the rest of the motorized people.
Views: 211
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on
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There is, or should be, an understanding that mopeds and scooters can pass motor-vehicles on the right and bunch up at intersections and then fly off in front of the cars and trucks because they CAN - like in Italy. That helps keep traffic moving and less congested for everyone. Those who are helping the planet by riding a scooter or moped or whatever should be rewarded by being allowed in front at red lights. But NOT if they impede bicycle movement or safety.
If that giant motorized chopper bicycle thing can't jack-rabbit it should not be on the street with traffic at all.
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Permalink Reply by ad on
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I guess I would disagree that someone is truly helping the planet by riding a scooter. The only time the "helping the environment" argument holds true in my opinion is if a person uses a scooter to do trips they otherwise definitely would have used a car to do. More often than not, though, it seems the people who buy and use mopeds didn't own--and probably wouldn't have owned--a car in the first place, and simply use it as a cheap and convenient way to get around the city without using public transportation. College students here and in other cities are a perfect example of this.
A trip to Taipei Taiwan was all it took to convince me that mopeds and scooters--especially the older 2-cycle models that burn oil, which are pretty common there and even here--still contribute quite a bit of pollution to the system. Most of the people there used a moped because it was cheap, easy to maneuver, and easier to park; not out of some desire to help the environment.
Tony Adams said:There is, or should be, an understanding that mopeds and scooters can pass motor-vehicles on the right and bunch up at intersections and then fly off in front of the cars and trucks because they CAN - like in Italy. That helps keep traffic moving and less congested for everyone. Those who are helping the planet by riding a scooter or moped or whatever should be rewarded by being allowed in front at red lights. But NOT if they impede bicycle movement or safety.
If that giant motorized chopper bicycle thing can't jack-rabbit it should not be on the street with traffic at all.
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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on
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Two cycle mopeds and all of those stupid conversion kits for bikes have zero in the way of emission controls and are some of the WORST polluters on the road. They may be efficient fuel consumption wise but they are a nightmare emissions wise; exhaust wise a full sized SUV probably has less damaging emissions than a moped.
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My parents lived in Taipei for three years and it is easily the most polluted place I have ever visited. I have no doubt at all that 2-cycle engine mopeds play a HUGE role in that fact.
notoriousDUG said:Two cycle mopeds and all of those stupid conversion kits for bikes have zero in the way of emission controls and are some of the WORST polluters on the road. They may be efficient fuel consumption wise but they are a nightmare emissions wise; exhaust wise a full sized SUV probably has less damaging emissions than a moped.
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arohr and DUG,
These are really great points that I failed to consider.
Does anyone know if the new mopeds have four stroke engines? I've seen a couple around town that look brand new and not like a thirty year old moped that someone found in a crate, but entirely new designs. Not that I'm any authority on the moped, but they looked new to me anyway.
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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on
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Ok, to everyone bringing the environment into the conversation here: The environment isn't the point!
The point is that that strip of pavement is intended for BICYCLES, not mopeds (weed whackers on wheels), scooters, and sure as hell not motorcycles.
Even if this motorized chopper ran on bio diesel, and its exhaust made non-vegetarians salivate from the smell, it still shouldn't be in the BICYCLE lane.
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I'm not an expert on mopeds, but I'm sure some of the newer models, especially on the higher end, have moved away from 2-cycle engines. Adding oil to the tank everytime, or at least some of the time, you fill up is a pain in the ass most people luckily want to avoid. Problem is most of the people I know that have gone after mopeds and scooters seem to have gone after the older 2-cycle models to either save money or based on the retro/kitch factor of owning an older model.
Tony Adams said:arohr and DUG,
These are really great points that I failed to consider.
Does anyone know if the new mopeds have four stroke engines? I've seen a couple around town that look brand new and not like a thirty year old moped that someone found in a crate, but entirely new designs. Not that I'm any authority on the moped, but they looked new to me anyway.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie on
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I am not an expert on combustion engine, but I did take Chemistry in High School. 1 gallon of gas produces a specific output of CO2. That has nothing to do with the MPG your transportation achieves. So a moped that gets 40 mpg emits half the CO2 per mile compared an SUV that gets 20 MPG.
Of course they smell bad, a lot worse than most cars. But more smell does not equate to more CO2 emissions.
On the other hand, a moped likely has a higher output of particulate matter, because of the oil that is burned
notoriousDUG said:Two cycle mopeds and all of those stupid conversion kits for bikes have zero in the way of emission controls and are some of the WORST polluters on the road. They may be efficient fuel consumption wise but they are a nightmare emissions wise; exhaust wise a full sized SUV probably has less damaging emissions than a moped.
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I am an expert on combustion engines.
First off CO2 is not the only thing that comes out of a tail pipe, you also have hydro-carbons (both unburned and combusted), CO (carbon monoxide) and many oxides of nitrogen. These items are actually the more damaging things that come out of a tail pipe and are what have the tightest standard when it comes to smog regulation although CO2 is checked. It is also worth noting that CO, not CO2, is the one to worry about.
More smell does mean more CO because you are not getting a full clean burn and end up with high CO numbers.
Duppie said:I am not an expert on combustion engine, but I did take Chemistry in High School. 1 gallon of gas produces a specific output of CO2. That has nothing to do with the MPG your transportation achieves. So a moped that gets 40 mpg emits half the CO2 per mile compared an SUV that gets 20 MPG.
Of course they smell bad, a lot worse than most cars. But more smell does not equate to more CO2 emissions.
On the other hand, a moped likely has a higher output of particulate matter, because of the oil that is burned
notoriousDUG said:Two cycle mopeds and all of those stupid conversion kits for bikes have zero in the way of emission controls and are some of the WORST polluters on the road. They may be efficient fuel consumption wise but they are a nightmare emissions wise; exhaust wise a full sized SUV probably has less damaging emissions than a moped.
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I think the point that mopeds don't belong in the bike lane is so self-evident to most of us on here that, besides being annoying when you witness it happen and needing a place to vent, there is almost nothing else to discuss about it. At least imho. It's wrong period when someone does it, and I don't think anyone was losing sight of that or arguing they should be allowed in turing the conversation in a different direction.
Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:Ok, to everyone bringing the environment into the conversation here: The environment isn't the point!
The point is that that strip of pavement is intended for BICYCLES, not mopeds (weed whackers on wheels), scooters, and sure as hell not motorcycles.
Even if this motorized chopper ran on bio diesel, and its exhaust made non-vegetarians salivate from the smell, it still shouldn't be in the BICYCLE lane.
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Fair enough.
I personally don't care about the environmental impact. I'll yell at them because they shouldn't be in the bicycle lane in the first place.
arohr said:I think the point that mopeds don't belong in the bike lane is so self-evident to most of us on here that, besides being annoying when you witness it happen and needing a place to vent, there is almost nothing else to discuss about it. At least imho. It's wrong period when someone does it, and I don't think anyone was losing sight of that or arguing they should be allowed in turing the conversation in a different direction.
Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:Ok, to everyone bringing the environment into the conversation here: The environment isn't the point!
The point is that that strip of pavement is intended for BICYCLES, not mopeds (weed whackers on wheels), scooters, and sure as hell not motorcycles.
Even if this motorized chopper ran on bio diesel, and its exhaust made non-vegetarians salivate from the smell, it still shouldn't be in the BICYCLE lane.
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Permalink Reply by heather s on
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I think it's completely within the realm of possibility that people who are riding motorized scooters in the summer own cars and drive some/most of the time in the winter. That is true for the few people I know who own scooters, anyway. However -- that just makes it especially annoying for them to ride in the bike lane, since there are more cyclists in the summer as well.
Doing something that is marginally better for the environment doesn't excuse assholery, IMO.
arohr said:I guess I would disagree that someone is truly helping the planet by riding a scooter. The only time the "helping the environment" argument holds true in my opinion is if a person uses a scooter to do trips they otherwise definitely would have used a car to do. More often than not, though, it seems the people who buy and use mopeds didn't own--and probably wouldn't have owned--a car in the first place, and simply use it as a cheap and convenient way to get around the city without using public transportation. College students here and in other cities are a perfect example of this.
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