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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHandout, Citizen Correspondance electic bicycles~ a.,+~~.o~' `~U ADDENDEM Attachment B Written Comments Received from Citizens p R~ (~~l('j).. Page 1 of 4 ~ 1 January 28, 2002 '""" Parkg and Recreation Advisory Board ~ Dear Board Members, I support regulahons providing access to all aty bike paths for electnc bicycles As you are aware e-bikes, carts, and electnC assist vehiCles for the handicapped have been around many years The e-bike has gone through a number of design interacUOns and marke~ng difficulties, but is now on the verge of successfully competmg with other modes of transportation The most recent release of the Segway by Dean Kamens's company is further ewdence of new frontiers for alternative transporta~on The city has expended significant capital dollars to create an alternative transportation infrastructure As a user and busmess man I see this system under u~lized and inaccessible to a number of potential users, both for afternatrve transportation and recreation I can not see any reason why Boulder can not be a leader m promoting this alternative that is no less safe than pedal powered bicycles and tow trailers Respectfully, ~O~ ~SC , u~o~J~ Gordon K Westdahl 2 January 28, 2002 I heard there was a meeting to decide about allowing electnc bikes on the bike paths I am definitely in favor of this I have ridden electnc bikes and they would greatly increase the access of the bike ~"'~ paths to elderly, handicapped, and peopie who don't want to get sweaty I believe they are ~ust as ~ safe as other bikes - it depends on the riders sktills and caut~ons Sincerely, Ruth Vanderkoo~ (Louisvdle) 3 January 25, 2002 To City Councd Re Electnc Bikes I REAILY wanted to come to your heanng and show you my exceptwnaliy cool electnc bike which f am ~ust in love with, and show you how very qwet it is, but I am gomg on a hut tnp, so this letter will have to suffice I am a member of the 4-F Club By that 1 mean that 1 am -FEMALE - FIFTY-ish - FAT-ish - FAIRLY FIT I used to nde my bicycle a lot more than I have in the last few years ~ have WANTED to nde my bike more, and i feel very gudty about using my car and global warming and au pollu~on But my bike was so slow, and the Broadway Hill was so dauntmg, and I ~ust didn't have time or energy e-bike-letters tloc January 28, 2002 ~. ~r.i.~ • ..~` a f~ . ~ ~i . • ADDENDEM Attachment B Written Comments Received from Citizens C.^ :•; r t., i; Page2of4 So when I heard about electnc bikes d seemed like the answer to a dream I got one and 1 ~ust LOVE it I have been cruising all over town, and have cut my car trips in half I can leave it in high gear, ~ push the little lever, and pedal up the Broadway Fidl iike I fiave legs of iron It ~s very gratifying to be able to finally pass a few folks again~ "` However, I still can't keep up with those fast boys with the REAL legs of von My top speed seems to be around 15 mph But I CAN get from my house near volet down to my fiend'S house near Faiwew High School in half an hour My bicycle is aiso very qwet 1 wdl be using my bike for errands around town, and to go up to the headgate of the Sdver Lake Ditch to shovel sand out of the sand trap (I have equiped my bike with a shovel holder for ~ust this purpose ) For this reason, and because I am also FEARFUL (the 5th "F") of ndmg on busy Boulder streets, I want to ask you to allow electric bikes on Boulder Bike paths I wdl then be much sater, and be able to ride to the headgate of the ditch to do maintenance Elizabeth Black 4340 N 13th Boulder CO 80304 303-449-7532 4. ,lanuary 25, 2002 Dear Ms Ra~el, The American Lung Association of Colorado would like to lend its support for the use of electnc assisted bikes and tnkes on off-street bicycle Sacditres A startling statistics shows that vehicle mdes traveled between 1970 and 1997 increased 127% This is due to both more mdes traveled per famtly and the increase in the number of vehicles per family It is not news to any of us that Colorado is expenenang rapid growth With that growth comes complications, such as increased use of automobiles, lawnmowers, and other air pollution cantnbutors Ozorte, carbon mo~oxide, a~d other, particulate matter do more tha~ cloud our v~sion These pollutants corrupt our breathing and compromise the quality of air - for all of us - espeaally those wdh 4ung disease Lung disease is our nation's the third teading cause of death, with more than 30 million Americans suffering with lung disease Lung tissue is very fragile and is easily damaged by airborne pollutants such as car exhaust We must become better stewards of the air we breathe, and this requires that we thmk outside the box m order to soNe the air quahry cnsis m our state Supporting the use of electric assisted bikes and tnkes on off-street bicycles facdities wtll allow mdividuals to make use of this alternative form of transportat~on, thereby decreasmg the number of gas-fueled vehicles on the roads Sncerely, Cindy Lroerence Director of Field Services 5 January 24, 2002 Dear Mami, Bolder Bicycle Commuters has endorsed the proposed ordinance that would allow electric-assisted bicycles to be aperated on multi-use paths, wdh provisions for limiting the speed We adoped this resolution by a 9-2 vote at our December 3 meeting Our deasion was based on the report from aty staff staff that off-sVeet electnc bike use in other US cities had not resulted in significant conflicts ~ e-bike-letters dx January 28, 2002 ~~ ADDENDEM Attachment B Written Comments Received from Gitizens Page 3 of 4 It is also interesUng to note that no one at our mee6ng was an owner of an electnc-assisted bike, or had any financial interest or speafic plans to obtam one We are all users of the multi-use paths ~, Please convey our endorsement to interested 6oards and commissions as well as Baulder City Councd Thank you Sincerely, Dave Allured, Chav Bolder Bicycle Commuters 4231 Eaton Court Boulder, CO 80303 303-499-7466 6 January 14, 2002 Dear Mami, I am wnting in support of permitting use of the electnc-assisted bicycles on the multi-use paths within the Boulder City hmits I feel that these bicycles, which are eqwpped wrth an electnc assist mecharnsm, are another important component in the transportation network They prowde mobdity options for people who might not othenvise be able to use a bike or walk, possibly encouragmg them to not use theu car I understand that these bikes are govemed at 20 mph which is consistent with speeds on the multi- use paths, and that no reports of acadents or incidents have occurred to date m the City of Boulder These bikes are simply designed to act like a bike with a little assistance for those who might need it In addit~on, I feel that perm~tting the use electnc-assisted bicycles is cons~stent with the goals of Boulder's Tra~sportat~on Master Plan by prowdi~g a clea~ veh~cle altemative that ~s swtable for short trips around town, which are often made by automobile I urge you to contmue to preserve the quality oF life in Boulder by allowing the use of these electnc- t'^ assisted bicycles, another alternaUve mode of transportation ~r..• Smcerely, Lissa A Morgan Assistant Director U S 36 Trensportation Mobdity Organization 7 January 13, 2002 Ms Ra~el I'm wnhng to state my support for allowing electncally-assisted bicycles on multi-use paths in the city of Boulder I am a member and sponsor of the Denver Electric Vehicie Council and would like to make the following comments and observations By and large, e-bikes fit well wdh the current traffic patterns of most if not all multi-use trads E-bikes are only capable of speeds in the range of 15-20 mph renge, so they match the speeds that many bicychsts travel on trails Alternative vehicle-fiendly ordinances wdl do much to encourage people to use alternative transportation for errands, travel to and from work, and other uses that often involve the use of automobtles Growing populadon and Vaffic pressures cannot help but be eased by any mcreased use of alternaGve transporation, however small that increase may be Many citizens wdl opt for electric bicycle travel that would not normally use pure bicycles for travel Included in this group are senior atizens who find bicycling without assist too strenuous, individuals with medical conditions that preclude normal bicycling, and everyday workers who find that a e-bike-latters doc January 28, 2002 ~ ~n' ADDENDEM Attachment6 Written Comments Received from Citizens Page 4 of 4 strenuous, aerobic commute on a bicycle does not fit with thev desve to arnve at the workpiace not needing to shower and change ~ A wonderful multi-use trad network is already in place in Boulder, and can easdy accommodate the "~' slight mcrease in t~affic that allow~~g e-bikes would entail Safety should not be an issue, s~nce speeds match existing bicycle speeds Thank you for your time Best regards, Stieg Corell scorelt@acs-dvm com 8 January 11, 2002 In light of the recent discussion, I am wrding to add my support for electnc assist bicycles bemg accepted on Boulders multi-use paths Because d essentially "acts" as a bicycle, the electnc assist bike should be aliowed on Boulders paths From my personal observations of my son's bicycle, it is qwet, safe and operates like any other bicycle except you can get a littie help climbing hills or peddling into the wind Typically, I would say my son peddles 75% of the hme and uses the electnc assist 25% of the time on any given trip These bikes should be allowed on the paths to give their riders the connections and convernence of Boulder's multi-use paths, key advantages afforded non-auto travelers to get around town Sikes are good transportation I support b~kes as a clean and effiaent mode that is affordable And they're fun~ So whaYs the fuss over the electnc assist bike~ It is another form of bicycle that the City of Boutder, 1 believe, should allow on the multi-use paths and support as "altemative" transportation Thank you for considenng my comments Smcerely, Michaei Gutirrez Denver Metro Clean Cihes 303-571-7728 ~ e-bike-letters doc January 28, 2002 e"R