Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said there will be a "full review" of how electric bikes and e-scooters are regulated alongside a ban on scramblers in public parks and roads.
In a special Ask-Me-Anything episode of the StreetSmart podcast, Streetsblog California editor Damien Newton reflects on his first year leading the site while answering reader-submitted questions on politics, transportation policy, and advocacy. Newton opens by thanking listeners for helping the nonprofit newsroom reach its annual fundraising goal, then explains why, as head of a 501(c)(3), he cannot endorse candidates or say who he is voting for in upcoming elections.
This week's e-bike news covers topics ranging from new e-bike speed limits to ALSO's e-quadricycle to a prototype brake rotor for eMTBs. New York City recently implemented mayor Eric Adams' plan to limit e-bike and e-scooter speeds to 15 mph while allowing analog bikes to travel faster. Rivian's e-mobility brand ALSO plans to offer a four-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle for both commercial and consumer use. Amazon struck a deal to deploy thousands of units in locations across the US and Europe.
Take a picture, save the city. This just in from our friends at CHEKPEDS (which sort of stands for the Clinton-Hell's Kitchen-Chelsea Coalition for Pedestrian Safety): a new app that you need now more than ever. The same people who created the indepensible Crashmapper are back with "Walkmapper," which allows you to snap a picture of a streetscape defect and report it directly to the city and the elected official in that neighborhood. Manhattan Community Board 4 used it recently to report more than 200 missing pedestrian ramps! (It's also great for reporting a missing bike rack, a broken streetlight, or an ill-timed crosswalk light.)
