Reply to Commuting to school by e-bike?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The protected bike lane along Irving is very nice.

I take my two kids on e-bike to school which we lotteried into.

Pros:
- Much faster and more reliable than any other mode of transit
- Easy to park anywhere
- Easy to carry large amounts of kid stuff
- I am less tired from having to make the trip 4 times a day!

Cons:
- Traffic, cars, bikes, pedestrians it really feels like no one follows the rules 
- Construction - there is nearly always some form of construction blocking part of the way that lasts years
- Safety, I do feel like it comes with a much higher likelihood of an accident
- Repairs, these are inevitable and a pain with an ebike.

We ride pretty much in all weather. I invested in good rain and snow clothes. Occasionally we take the bus when the bike is broken or it is too icy.

I use side streets, protected bike lanes when possible and I tend to ride a low speeds without much assist even though I could go much faster.[/quote]

Another con is cost. We don't have an e-bikes because they are expensive and seem to crap out faster than you'd expect given the cost. We have friends who are on their 3rd e-bike in 10 years. That's like 15k in e-bikes (they aren't buying the cheapest models). And doesn't even include upkeep costs.

People are always trying to convince us to get an e-bike but the economics don't make sense for us even though I see the benefit of having a way to travel with kids that is faster than walking but more eco-friendly and convenient than a car. If e-bikes were more similar in cost to a regular bike, that would be different. 
[/quote]

My sister just bought a low-miles Subaru Forester (2015? 2016?) [u]for $15k.[/u]  She lives in DC and the mandatory liability insurance on this car is about $85/month. Registration is $175 year.  At the rate she drives this car, <1500 miles/year, it will certainly last another 10 years.

No way would i spend the same money on what are essentially disposable e-bikes over the same 10 yr period.  And no, the petroleum she is consuming in real-world practice is not actually contributing to climate change in a meaningful way.[/quote]

DP but many addresses are not eligible for RPP. Parking spot costs $2500 per year. Vehicle maintenance is $1000 per year on average.

Not saying OP should bike but people vastly underestimate the cost of owning a vehicle.[/quote]

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