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In response to community concerns and police observations, the motor assist feature on Lime and Veo e-bikes in D.C. is slowing down. The city’s thousands of undocked e-bikes will have a limit on how fast they can go.
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As part of safety push, motor assist on DC e-bikes is slowing down
In response to community concerns and police observations, the motor assist feature on Lime and Veo e-bikes in D.C. is slowing down.
The city’s thousands of undocked e-bikes will have a limit on how fast they can go. Now, the boost feature on Lime e-bikes won’t be able to go faster than 18 miles per hour, the company said in a statement. The assistance on Veo e-bikes will be capped at 15 miles per hour.
The previous limit for both companies’ e-bikes was 20 miles per hour, a D.C. Department of Transportation spokesperson said.
City leaders have been considering asking the companies to make a change since the spring, the DDOT spokesperson said. They recently asked, and the companies agreed.
The switch comes in response to growing complaints about e-bike riders zipping by pedestrians on city sidewalks, which is not illegal in D.C. In some cases, e-bikes are being used by suspects in crimes to quickly get away.
“I read a lot of police reports, so I know there’s some use, or I should say misuse, of the bikes,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday at an unrelated event. “We want to make sure that all the bicycles can be available for the purpose that they are intended, and curb any misuse.”
Meanwhile, a D.C. police spokesperson said Lime e-bikes and scooters are being used by juveniles who are suspects in robberies and assaults. However, the agency doesn’t have data on how common that circumstance is.
“Anecdotally, we have some concerns about some of the shared transportation equipment being used to commit crimes,” Bowser said.
While Capital Bikeshare, or CaBi, e-bikes have a pedal assist feature, the DDOT spokesperson said data shows the maximum boost is 17 miles per hour.
In busy corridors, D.C. has put in place an 8 mile per hour boost limit. That’s in effect on U Street, in Chinatown and Navy Yard and at the Wharf, DDOT said.
“We’re all trying to, in tandem with MPD, promote good behavior on our shared fleet devices,” said Sharon Kershbaum, DDOT’s director.
Jacob Tugendrajch, a Lime spokesperson, said in a statement the company has “worked with the city to find what we hope will be an appropriate balance on speed limits and slow zones as have all micromobility operators in D.C. this year.”
Veo implemented the 15 mile per hour speed limit in late October and is “working closely with the District to meet local transportation priorities and ensure our service remains a dependable option for residents traveling to work, connecting to transit, and visiting local businesses,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
However, the Veo spokesperson said on Thursday the company found it “appropriate” to return the e-bikes’ speed to 18 mph “to maintain safe operations while meeting the needs of riders.”
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Scott Gelman
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