r/OwenSound

4000 km is the amount of kilometers I rode my e-bike to work and back this summer. I rode my eBike on the shoulder of the highway to the beach where I worked this summer. Shout out to Jim at the Shallow Lake service center and a couple of neighbors I stopped at on my ride to work for spray for my chain or a fill up on my tire shout out to you too. And to the two different people who built houses on the highway to the beach with their bare hands this summer I watched you do it all summer Bravo congratulations!!! . I am a licensed driver I could have chose to get a car it was my personal choice to get the e-bike instead. And I just want to say this is all confusing for everybody and I can see that from both perspectives.

In my honest opinion I believe that the lack of regulation supporting what an e-bike should have to make it road-worthy, and driver safe really contributes to the growing frustration on the road. Also everybody driving an e-bike in the a car Lane in town in my opinion must have a driver's license.

If I need to use the left hand turning lane and I am using a car Lane I must have a driver's license. So that everyone knows that I understand the rules of the road what the lights mean when I have the right away.

Before I even started driving around town on my e-bike I got a tail light I have a brake light I have signal lights I have a headlight. I believe e bikes should have all of these things if you're going to drive them within town and not just on trails. Also be driven by a licensed driver. I've encountered many e-bike drivers I'm sorry to say that can't have driver's license because they have too many DUIs I do not want these individuals riding an e-bike around town either I'm with everyone on that.

I am terribly sorry for the lack of consideration for vehicles. And I am terribly sorry that you have to deal with people on scooters with motors dodging in and out of car Lanes people without licenses riding motorized bikes through intersections and in busy areas it frustrates me as well.

I truly personally go out of my way to try to avoid busy roads. If I'm going to Walmart I will ride past the Bayshore and come up the back way so that I don't have to navigate all the busy intersections it would take me to get there. It's confusing for everybody.

But with my apology I ask that you only try to be aware that there are people in town who are genuinely trying to respect drivers and not cause drivers panic or anxiety or confusion while they're trying to navigate the roads. People who have their driver's licenses and are considerate of vehicles on the road while they're on their e bikes like myself. We are just receiving no end of aggression and hate and frustration from drivers. Legitimately I had a guy in a Yukon yell at me that I wasn't allowed to be on the road and then literally tried to sideswipe me out of the lane onto the shoulder while I was riding my e-bike with my grocery bag. I had to report that because he almost killed me. I had a man in his mid to late seventies on a Sunday make it a point to speed up to a stoplight to pull up beside me at a light when I was on my way to work and yell at me that I wasn't allowed to be in the road. I didn't yell back I simply said I'm aware of the rules I need to follow thank you and have a blessed Sunday and I put my earbud back in.

These things are not acceptable either. Many people on their e-bikes are genuinely just trying to get around town as you know there is a lot of hills in Owen sound. They actually make it possible for people to work or see family or get their own groceries when otherwise they probably couldn't do those things on their own.

I don't know what the answer is here. I hope we can come to some kind of solution so that I don't fear drivers using their vehicles as weapons to lash out at me when I'm simply trying to get my groceries or get to work.

But I also don't want people on e-bikes whipping in and out of traffic not using their hand signals at least and just having absolutely zero consideration for anybody around them. People who are modifying their e-bikes in town so that they're not e-bikes anymore there's something else I don't know what you would call it. But stop doing that. We have something good here with the e-bikes, please don't let just generally disrespectful inconsiderate people riding e-bikes ruin that. Also my e bike's name is Ruby shoes because she always gets me home. Lol