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[quote=Anonymous][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]

I've owned a car in DC for 20 years and never been ineligible for RPP. We actually have off street parking at our apartment building (comes with our unit, which is competitively priced, nowhere near $2500/yr) and we still choose to street park most of the time because there is ample street parking in our neighborhood and it's more convenient. And 1k per year on maintenance sounds high to me. I think if maintenance is averaging out that high for you, you must be very hard on your car, likely driving it daily with a tough commute. If you live in DC, that's definitely not necessary, as most people have public transit options within the city.

I don't love cars but the idea that e-bikes are cheaper and better is just not the reality. Yet. Maybe with time the costs will come down. Right now it's really mostly an option for people with a lot of disposable income.

Also literally everyone I know with an e-bike has a car. Some of them are two-car families plus one or more e-bikes. Plus regular bikes. That's great it you just have tons of money! Many of us don't and have to pick and choose. My family can afford a car but not an e-bike.[/quote]

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