Making a Small City Smaller: Exploring the Urban Experience in Erie

Contributed

Dave Tamulonis, affectionately known around town as Downtown Dave, takes on the recent explosion in the popularity of PEVs (personal electric vehicles) – examining their safety, our infrastructure, and how their banning disproportionately affects poor communities.

My friend recently upgraded his e-bike and sold me his older model. My experience with personal electric vehicles (PEVs) was limited before taking a leap and buying this machine; I had only really ridden one e-bike before while in Philadelphia using their bike share program. Though e-bikes are the most common form of PEV, the moniker also applies to things like electric scooters, electric skateboards, hoverboards, and one-wheels, which are a form of electric unicycle. To be honest, I fell into the camp of traditional cyclists who thought PEVs basically ruined one of the main benefits of commuter cycling, which is building exercise into one's regular routine. That said, I will admit, riding an e-bike is an absolute blast, especially when exploring an unfamiliar city. I probably did 25 miles in Philly without even realizing it. I was ready to change my mind and figure out how this new technology could help me get around Erie and become even less dependent on my car.

E-bikes fall into three categories:

Pedal-assist bikes that largely retain the experience of riding a traditional bicycle and tend to look more like a traditional bicycle with slim frames and hidden batteries.

Handlebar throttle bikes that inch toward the feel of a moped or motorcycle, and tend to have higher top speeds, bulkier batteries for extended range, and heavier frames and bodies.

Hybrids, which give you the option for both throttle-assisted and pedal-assisted modes.

The bike I bought is a hybrid but is relatively powerful, with a top speed approaching 25 mph on its highest setting. My first time laying this thing out on a street (East Lake Road in Lawrence Park) felt like driving a motorcycle. The acceleration was shockingly powerful, and the bike is pretty heavy and bulky.

The friend I purchased this from got into e-bikes as an alternative to automobiles for getting around town to work and the gym. He's in recovery and unable to acquire a driver's license due to past drug convictions, but needs a way to commute to his job across town so he can continue to rebuild his life and provide for his family. One's ability to access this city drastically improves when you go from a self-powered traditional bicycle that tops out at 15 mph or so to a battery-powered electric vehicle that can effortlessly accelerate to 25 or 30 mph. This has been a trend in cities across the country, and in the past year or so Erie seems to have caught up in a big way. Our city, with its relatively flat roads, few major barriers like freeways cutting through town, robust public bus transportation system, and growing amount of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, is the perfect type of city in which to own a PEV. Many in larger cities use PEVs to cover the "last mile" of a commute, the gap between bus or subway stops and your actual destination. In a city where everything you need is only about 2 or 3 miles away, it becomes possible to rely solely on a powerful e-bike or scooter.

Just like any hobby, there is a huge range of affordability in the PEV market, running from bikes that can be purchased at Walmart for a few hundred dollars to very high-end models that can get into the thousands. All e-bikes, though, are much cheaper than pretty much any reliable gas-powered automobile, especially in Pennsylvania where it is shockingly expensive to keep up with owning a car. When you add up car payments, insurance, registration and licensing fees, inspection fees, repairs to keep up with inspections, and other regular costs and maintenance for a car like gas and routine oil changes, owning a vehicle in Pennsylvania has become a luxury. I have had multiple stretches where I've driven a car with an expired inspection because I had to save up to make the necessary repairs and chancing a ticket is a cheaper date. I grew up in Ohio, and while I will admit many vehicles that should not be on roads were legally allowed to be driven, it was not quite as expensive to keep up with owning a car. This new technology therefore is a major benefit to those living at or near poverty, allowing them the ability to cover more ground without having to invest in an expensive gas vehicle. This has important and immediate benefits for our economy. According to a 2022 survey conducted by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, almost 20 percent of individuals in that state who were able to work but were not currently working cited transportation as a barrier. Making transportation more accessible and affordable could help solve issues like labor shortages.

Lately, lawmakers have been catching up and deciding how to regulate this new class of vehicles that sits uncomfortably between self-powered and motor-powered, especially those that are increasingly powerful due to leaps in battery strength and endurance. Many cities have either full or partial bans on e-bikes or scooters. Some target the more powerful bikes, and some have blanket bans that attempt to eliminate them all together. Many places are restricting where they can be driven; Gannon University right here in Erie recently banned all PEVs on their sidewalks and walkways. Let me first say that driving a PEV on the sidewalk or other pedestrian walkway is always unsafe. In a healthy city with good infrastructure, pedestrians should have a space just for walking that is safe and free from motorized or self-powered traffic. A healthy city would also have abundant and separate infrastructure for bikes and PEVs, though. This is something Erie has yet to implement. While there are a few bike lanes on Erie streets, none are protected bike lanes. The few trails that are separate from the road are meant to be shared with pedestrians like the Bayfront Connector Greenway Trail and the West Bayfront Bluffs Promenade Trail. This lack of infrastructure often forces bicycle and PEV traffic onto the sidewalks, especially those less experienced riders that do not feel comfortable sharing 35 mph streets with car traffic. I would describe myself as an extremely assertive and confident cyclist, and I always try to assert my place on the street alongside vehicular traffic if riding my bike. The more bikes that compete for space on the road, the more cars are made aware of them and will (theoretically) look out for them the next time.

While the street is currently the legal space for PEV traffic, it is far from safe. Car drivers are at best unfamiliar with how to handle bicycle and PEV riders and at worst outright hostile to them on Erie roads. Instead of making the road a safer space for these riders, many cities' impulse is to instead regulate the new technology and limit their ability to impact the car drivers. The hypocrisy of many elected officials who claim to be "anti-regulation" shows whenever a new technology stands to benefit the poor, and therefore must be thoroughly and carefully neutered. The auto industry also has a long history of lobbying to protect gas-guzzling interests at the expense of public transit (see the 1949 General Motors Streetcar conspiracy). The odds are sadly stacked against the affordable and environmentally friendly PEVs in their many shapes and forms, but small cities like Erie are poised to set the precedent for how we discuss this new technology at the state and federal level. If we understand how PEVs can boost participation in our economy, democratize our streets, and reduce dependence on polluting gas vehicles, and we properly invest in the infrastructure that makes riding them safe and easy, we could significantly improve the quality of life in Erie.

Plus, they're just really fun to ride.

David Tamulonis is a musician and educator who works at Erie Downtown Partnership managing community events and activities in Downtown Erie. He can be reached at davidtamulonis@gmail.com.