Pulled from our recent city council meeting live stream (it only took a few minutes for my friends to notify me ).
I knew this would be coming… time to begin positive educational and lobbying efforts in Ashland, Ohio.
Like every small town, antiquated ordinance (and lack of awareness) force many people to look at personal electric vehicles as toys.
Overall, the community is extremely intrigued by eskate and I have zero conflicts (except for the occasional rednecks that can’t wait to get home and beat their wife, who then realize that I out-accelerate their pickup truck anyway). The mayor jokes about my boards at events and always asks if I rode them if weather is nice… as I said, small community.
I am scheduling meetings and plan to demo some of my boards, discuss PEV positive cities, and generally show why PEVs can be “good for the community”. We already have a huge cycling community that invests heavily into their bikes… I am also approaching them in such as way that we can advocate together.
Who else is dealing with this, and what success have you had in working with municipalities to modernize PEV ordinance?
Damn that’s too close to home for my liking. UC had an esk8 board battery burn up one of the dorms so I was expecting some backlash but none came. I rode through the campus the other day and all the security guards were overly friendly.
How many others are skating around that area besides yourself?
Good post. That guy isn’t wrong
In general, if you’re blasting down the middle of the street or into oncoming lanes, exceeding the posted speed limit of the road and wrecklessly driving— then you’re doing nothing but hurting esk8 for everyone else.
I’m not putting around at 10mph, but I try to integrate well with traffic in the city, use bike lanes when appropriate, and generally not be an a hole. if I want to have a spirited ride around town, I get up at 6am after working nightshift on a weekend and go. There’s no one out then, and I can blast around an use the whole road.
I recommend everyone consider the inspect they have on public perception and legislation before they go blasting 40 mph down the street while weaving traffic.
I do ride as if I am a cyclist - following traffic laws and signaling accordingly. I neve3r dart around the street as I want to maintain a positive image of esk8 in our community.
Most of my rides are in off-peak hours with very little traffic on our streets.
The councilman is actually a nearby neighbor and nobody else rides through here. I have hit 33 MPH at most on the 35 MPH street. It is obviously the common and natural assumption that I am going extremely fast given that I am on a board (but not over the speed limit).
I wonder if going to the local police station,showing them your board, and explaining how you follow all cyclist laws and aren’t just a stupid kid will help nip a future complaint in the bud.
If he lives close, go shake his hand and introduce yourself. He’s there to represent the community, which you are a part of.
Especially if you’re concerned his negative image may be from seeing you go by. Better to beat him to it now than be playing catch-up when they’re talking about legislation.
And thank you for setting a good example. Wasn’t trying to imply you were a bad example. Just in general
That is what I hope to do, and no offense taken! I don’t think that he will expect that the menace kid he sees is a friendly, 34-year-old business owner up the street.
I know that before we even started building boards we talked to the chief of police and they said that we were allowed on all roads except for the two main roads through the center of town. They told us that we had the same rights a cyclists…
Whoever classified your boards as toys is obviously clueless as to the amount of work that these “ toys” take to build. That’s really dumb. but i’m just a dumb kid anyways. so who am i to know anything.
Apperently my mayor rides a onewheel or electric uni.
My town’s citizens are really picking up pace in getting PEV’s as well. 2 years ago I was the only one and now I see them a couple times a month. All onewheel and prebuilts though. A couple uni’s. Friend had a DIY until he crashed pretty hard.
I follow most road laws and slow when passing pedestrians. I consider myself a good ambassador but I think I hurt myself too much for others around me to see it that way. At least I’m not hurting others, had to bail once or twice to avoid that. They didn’t sign up to be hit in the ankles by a 30 pound board, However I did so if it’s a choice between hitting one of them or hurting myself, it’s always the latter.
This is true. Scooter assholes ruined EV in Singapore by running over older folks and kids and then acting like it was no big deal. They would plow down the middle of crowded sidewalks like pharaohs in chariots. They still ride illegally in the dead of night dressed in all black with no lights. They pass me going probably 40mph.
This is something that my wife and I have been talking about more and more. Being in a smaller college town in Oregon we have both the “punk kids who need to say off my lawn” neighbors, and the punk college kids who should stay off their lawn in close vicinity to one another. Unfortunately the neighbors are more vocal at the town meetings, and usually start some rubbish like what is shown in the video.
Things brings up a good point as well, is there an Electric Skateboard organization (non-profit) that would be a source for information to help small communities better understand the difference between what we have and the toys the the brick and mortar stores sell? If not, this would be a great place to start one… just saying…
While I was in there, I asked them what the best way to NOT get shot by them while using skateboard remotes that look like guns in the dark. They said “make them white”.
So there you go, remote manufacturers. Make them fucking white.
What I wouldnt give to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation
Oh wait, serious thread. Ok (slightly) more on topic, I was riding the train home from work today, and an old dude pointed at my board and said “How fast does your toy go?” I have ignored a lot of questions about my esk8 on the train, but I have never ignored anyone quite as hard as I ignored him.
Yeah generally I am happy to talk to people about it, especially old folks since they are less likely to ask the Big Two (“how fast?” “how much?”). Most of the time that I am ignoring questions is from crackheads (high likelihood of asking the Big Two), or from someone who is insanely condescending like the dude today.
Had an old lady (around 65+ at a guess) comment yesterday at my small town train station that she saw me on the way before her hubby dropped her off, and how cool she thinks it is and how she would have loved to do it if she had the balance.
I hate those questions. “How fast” I answer correctly or ask in return “How fast does your car go?” so they understand how dumb of a question that is.
“How much” I usually say “I made it” or “Less than your car” and promptly leave. I almost never say any numbers. I don’t want someone trying to rob me and then trying to sell a unique one-of-a-kind object that I WILL find for sale and show up to get back. With the police, if they’re lucky. Probably not.
Now I know we have a bad ass mother fucker here. Or maybe it’s just a St. Louis thing.
To keep it serious, my town really needs some of this. Thanks to OP, i’ve started considering attending local city council meetings to get a feel and maybe bring up the idea of PEVs and presenting what other cities (like Denver) are doing to legalize PEVs on roads and pathways. Thanks OP! Not a public speaker, but whatever it matters to me.
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