I agree. I personally don't care if this guy cracks his own head open but I believe "my freedom ends where yours begins" and if he's going fast enough to seriously injure or kill someone on the sidewalk he needs to carry some form of insurance to cover the liability. "Here take my iPhone brah” isn't enough for someone who will never walk again.

Also if he wants to play around and weave in and out of cars at 30 mph+ and he ends up as a road waffle too bad, so sad.

What makes you think he's riding on the sidewalk? Riding on the sidewalk is a rookie move and anyone that rides more than once a year knows it. Author has been riding seriously for 40 years. I've been riding nearly daily for 15 years and not once have I ever come in physical contact with a pedestrian. I've been hit by 2 cars though, both times by drivers not paying attention.

>Riding on the sidewalk is a rookie move and anyone that rides more than once a year knows it.

Eh, depends on the location. My sister rode a bike every day for about 4 years (she didn't have a car). She always rode on the sidewalk because she rode at a slower pace, the sidewalks generally didn't have any people on them, and in her neighborhood if you tried to ride in the road you'd get mowed down by vehicles. There's really some places where it makes most sense to ride on the sidewalk even if you aren't supposed to.

Yes, cyclists take the sidewalk, but not cyclists who go fast.

It should be illegal to ride any vehicle w/ engine >250W capable of >12 mph speeds on the sidewalk.

Or bike lane, or cross walk. It doesn't matter where he hits the person. He is describing a literal motor vehicle it should be treated as such.

I'd say Californian law is spot on.

My understanding is that he rides the powerful ebikes in the forest when snow is on the ground. When there is no snow he rides a regular bike.

Regarding the general question of danger to pedestrians: good urban planning works wonders.

Right. If you want an electric motorcycle, get an electric motorcycle. There are some very nice ones.[1] Now that's not underpowered. 90MPH top speed, 200 mile range. That's their entry level model; they have electric superbikes, too. If you're going to be riding in traffic at speed, bigger tires and brakes can get you out of trouble. You can turn harder and stop faster.

The next step down is electric scooters, which are around $1000-$2000. They aren't pretend bicycles, but are more street-suitable.

[1] http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-s/

This doesn't look like something that can be stored in an apartment, unlike a bike (and presumably an electric bike, which are about the same size). Having to park it outside is a huge hassle and theft risk, I'd never leave my bike outside.

A motorcycle/scooter isn't a major theft risk, because its big/heavy enough to resist theft on its own (and has front and back wheel locks and motion-activated siren alarm)