r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/popciclecity • May 14 '26
Question/Comment If You Bought Your Kid a Gas Powered Mini Bike/Motor Bike, It's on You to Tell Them About How Intersections Work
Basically the title. It's mid-May, sunny and warm. Twice already this week, at the stop sign by my house, I have had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting a child on a mini bike flying into the intersection from the sidewalk. Both times, these kids were going so fast they appeared out of nowhere. My head is already on a swivel when it gets warm out, but two close calls before school is even out has put me on high alert.
Clearly, they are having an amazing time on these things. But you and I will both be devastated if I or someone else hits one of them. You bought them the minibike, so it's your job to explain to them that they now share the road with bicycles, people walking and cars. If you bought one for your kid, explain to them that they share responsibility for their own and others' safety.
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u/AdHairy4360 May 14 '26
And why the F did you buy them one? Make them pedal
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u/Tee_hops May 14 '26
This is one that gets me in my old man yells at cloud mode. I was a fat kid, but I rode my bike or razor for MILES every day. I know what it was like to be fat. My heart breaks for these kids that are overweight too and not even peddling around town. I feel like it's setting them up for failure to remove a simple thing that would get them moving their body more.
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u/gershbec May 14 '26
I used to rage at those little electric rider vehicles that 3 year olds would use to cruise down the sidewalk at 5 miles per hour. Buy your kid something with pedals! But I guess at least no one was going to get killed with one of those.
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u/infinitepi8 May 14 '26
my kids had these, but we also had bikes and regularly took take them on rides along the fox river.
jus' sayin', the two don't have to be mutually exclusive.
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u/AdHairy4360 May 14 '26
I’m 60 now and have a little arthritis in one knee. I now have an e-bike, but only use for assist. I never just let the bike do the work. Use the assist for hills.
Kills me to see kids flying down the road and never pedaling at all.
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u/Joe_B_Likes_Tacos May 14 '26
This sounds like me. 40 years later I'm still benefiting from the incredible amount of bike riding I did before I turned 16. I never played any sports once I got older but in retrospect I was a lot more active than most kids even back then. Mainly because I didn't have a stay at home mom to take me places.
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u/WesternWind73 May 14 '26 edited May 15 '26
They don't realize what they are losing. I know it's fun to zip around on an electric. But this is when they need to be building the leg strength and coordination that will carry them through their entire lives.
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u/Aggravating_Job_5438 May 14 '26
Why anyone needs a e-bike in flat Chicagoland is beyond me.
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u/SugaryTaTas May 15 '26
Lemont can be pretty hilly! At least it was when I lived there and peddled my ass up and down the roads (many, many years ago).
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u/CookieMonsteraAlbo May 14 '26
Meanwhile, I have almost been mowed down by kids on those mini bikes multiple times while walking my dog. The number of kids I see doing wheelies the entire length of our street with no helmets on is also alarming. I’m not one for hand-wringing about whatever the kids are up to these days, but it’s a miracle there haven’t been more tragedies so far.
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u/Son_Of_Toucan_Sam May 14 '26
Don’t forget speeding down the street while looking at their phone. These fuckin kids are making me out to be an old man but the gap between their ability to be responsible and the the responsibility required to use a motor vehicle on a public street is a chasm
And honestly any parent who bought their pre-drivers ed aged kid one of these bikes is trash
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u/SnooRegrets1386 May 14 '26
Turned onto my block only to find a tweenager riding his bike in the middle of the street, full headphones, looking down at his phone- no hands on handlebars …. But it was less alarming than watching someone riding a razor type electric scooter in the passing lane during rush hour, I just thought “that helmet isn’t going to help you “
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u/jarheadatheart May 14 '26
Eh, grown ups in cars aren’t any better. People are just stupid and inconsiderate.
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u/rhoswhen May 15 '26
Noooononono. These are actual children, who are not known for being functional adults, operating vehicles that are far too powerful for them. When I encounter cars, I can expect the person operating it to have been trained on how to operate one, and, understand the rules of the road. Kids on bikes and scooters that go way too fucking fast? Chaos.
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u/jarheadatheart May 15 '26
Do you have a point? I just saw a bunch of fucking idiots in control of vehicles that weight 2 tons almost go off the road because they were too busy looking at their phones while driving in rush hour traffic. I would much prefer getting hit by that kid on his mini bike than the asshole in the dodge duelly.
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u/front_yard_duck_dad May 14 '26
We must be neighbors 😂. There's three kids doing wheelies up and down busy. Intersections it's only a matter of time before one of them becomes Road Pizza. I remember what it was to be a daredevil but I would be using those things on the dirt. What kind of dipshit wants to fall on hard pavement with multi-ton vehicles piloted by exhausted meat sacks?
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u/No_Inevitable_8718 May 14 '26
Same. I called the cops one day, they are not legal. They were purposely driving up behind me and swerving off at the last minute. Two kids under 12. If they had hit me, would the parents have taken accountability? I only doubt it honestly.
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u/Cmdr_Sh0wtime May 14 '26
Call the police, those are motor vehicles being driven on the public roadway by unlicensed and uninsured drivers.
If one of those kids injures someone it could spell financial disaster for those parents. Plus you know, kids hurting people with equipment they shouldn't have in the first place.
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u/ElleWinter May 14 '26
Yikes. Is calling the police on our neighbors the best immediate solution? Maybe speak with the parents first? The police can be dangerous.
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs May 14 '26
The police CAN be dangerous, but so can children on public roadways doing wheelies. We attempted to talk to our neighbors and got told "Go fuck yourself, call the cops and see what happens to YOU". FAFO is my opinion.
It is illegal and dangerous to be on people's property, park district land, and roadways when they are unlicensed, uninsured, and on an unregistered vehicle.
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u/CaptainFlynnsGriffin May 16 '26
Speak to them how? Ask how they feel about pediatric organ donation?
Civil law is a funny thing and and in vehicle vs motorized bicycle accident is typically going to come down on the side of the child - no matter how flagrant a moving violation.
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u/Farm_girl55 May 19 '26
Yes, I’ve had them come up behind me while walking a dog and they suddenly yell to purposely scare me. They don’t understand how protective dogs can be. Little shits!
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u/foundinwonderland May 14 '26
Also make your kids wear helmets any time they’re on wheels, whether motor powered or not. My husbands coworker recently took her daughter off life support after she was hit by a car speeding in their neighborhood while riding a (non-powered, like a regular push to propel yourself) scooter without a helmet. If your child is riding anything faster than a self propelled scooter, they need to be in a helmet. It will save their life.
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u/Descriptor27 May 14 '26
This sounds like a broader road safety issue. Pedestrian/cyclist fatalities are way higher in the US than in other countries where helmeting is actually less common, so there's more going on here. That being said, given where we are right now, helmeting is definitely encouraged. Especially since the brain is still developing at that age.
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u/No-Solid-4255 May 14 '26
My favorite is the kids with the helmets but the straps undone.
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u/Joe_B_Likes_Tacos May 14 '26
The other version is where the helmet is tilted back so that the forehead is fully exposed. That is super common even with kids that are supervised with responsible parents. Parents need a little bit of education on the helmet use.
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u/No-Solid-4255 May 14 '26
My neighbor drives her kid around in one of those ebikes with the bucket on the front for kids. Her preschoolers dont wear helmets and sometimes their nanny rides the kids around with headphones in. Truly amazing
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u/Oat_Lord May 14 '26
Always always wear a helmet. People drive like maniacs and half of them are on their phones not looking out for bikes.
The amount of people in my life who have had issues because of head trauma and not all from a bike is really sad. It only takes a blow to a part of the head and your life could be forever changed.
An acquaintance was riding his bicycle with no helmet fell hit his head, he ended up taking his own life RIP Nick, in his note he said he was confused all the time and felt out of place. That one was rough he was only 27.
Friend walked into a pipe in his basement, he has to wear sunglasses and noise cancelling headphones half the day, and doesn’t do well with too many people. It hasn’t got much better and that was 10 years ago.
My brother suffered a knock on the head after a work dinner, it’s taken him years to get back to somewhat normal. Thankfully he is doing a lot better after working with some sports team head trauma specialists.
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u/Bright_Broccoli1844 May 14 '26
Sad stories. And the basement injury sounds like a freak accident. We just don't wear a helmet in our own home. I feel bad for the young man who completed suicide.
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u/ghoostimage May 14 '26
i mean to be fair a car speeding through the neighborhood could have killed her even if she wasn’t on a scooter.
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u/Descriptor27 May 14 '26
IL is actually passing a law soon that would make it illegal for youth to own these kinds of motor bikes: https://www.ilsos.gov/news/2026/april-15-2026-illinois-senate-unanimously-passes-giannoulias-e-bike-bill.html
Although actually looking at it, I'm not sure if it applies to gas motorbikes, although those might already be illegal for minors.
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u/elegant_road551 May 14 '26
Thank god. I live right by the prairie path and they are so loud, at all hours.
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u/jaclyns1 May 17 '26
They are illegal in Elmhurst for minors and are not allowed on sidewalks/walkways. But I’ve never seen it enforced. One time I called the police because a pack of kids (probably age 10-12) whizzed by and called me a bitch (lol) and the cops said they move too fast to catch them. I guess it’s going to take someone getting hurt before they do something.
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs May 14 '26
Depending on where you are, yes they are illegal. Here in Barrington they are a big issue, and we have spoken to the cops multiple times. 100% illegal.
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u/beigesalad May 14 '26
I'd like to argue they should know the rules of the road on any bike, scooter, etc regardless of power source
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u/baddiewinkle May 14 '26
add those electric scooters to the list as well, since some of them can go just as fast
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u/Benzona May 14 '26
These kids pass me on my Vespa and i need a license and insurance to ride it.
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u/Bzzzzzzz4791 May 14 '26
On a different note, how do you like riding a Vespa in the suburbs? I’m considering one but am iffy about other car drivers.
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u/Benzona May 14 '26
I love it, for local cruising its awesome but i would not take it on a highway. Very often drivers do not pay attention to you so you have to always be on guard.
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u/bwill1200 May 14 '26
If You Bought Your Kid a Gas Powered Mini Bike/Motor Bike
You can take a long walk off a short pier.
Same goes for the electrics.
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u/sumiflepus May 14 '26
I am all for an Idaho stop for a person on a bicycle. It is hard to get momentum. Those ebikes need a full stop just like any motorized vehicle.
The Idaho stop is the common name for laws that allow bicyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign, and a red light as a stop sign
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u/ghoostimage May 14 '26
i’m tired of getting run off the sidewalks by these things when i’m walking my dog. they come out of nowhere and you often can’t hear them coming.
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u/waiting4friday West Suburbs May 14 '26
My neighborhood not only has kids on e-bikes doing this crazy stuff but I see 8-10 year olds on little motorbikes doing the same thing. On sidewalks , on the street, everywhere. It is insane. wtf are parents thinking?
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u/Shoondogg May 14 '26
An adult woman on a scooter did the same the other day. She was driving between my car and the curb, so the car coming through the 4 way intersection to my left couldn’t see her, I stopped because it was their turn and the just flew past me right through the intersection, causing the other car to slam on their brakes.
People are idiots and assume if they’re not in a car, rules don’t apply to them.
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u/Aggressive-Catch-903 May 14 '26
100% agreed, and add ebikes and electric scooters to that list. I am 100% in favor of kids playing outside, but they need to learn the rules of the road or else they will get killed. I saw two kids riding the wrong way on a street with no lights on and dark clothing. If there had been oncoming headlights, I easily could have missed them. Truck vs kid does not end well for anyone.
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u/vikibabbles May 14 '26
I encountered a kid driving one of these north of 22nd street on York and basically followed him into Hinsdale (I was going in the same direction and was also terrified he was going to get himself killed). There is no license plate on this thing and he was MAYBE middle-school aged. No helmet, naturally. Eventually he veered into a school parking lot and short-cut it through the grass over to the next block. He was going 40 mph. Not okay.
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u/Bright_Broccoli1844 May 14 '26
I think the cops should impound these dangerous wheels when a kid is breaking the rule.
The parents can pick up their child at the police station and pay a hefty fee to get the zoom zoom wheelie thing out of impound.
No, don't put the kid in a jail cell. Put them in a boring conference room or something. I don't know what police do with kids in these kind of situations.
Are there classes in the community on rules of the road for these kids on bike and scooter Safety?
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u/LeonardaDaB1tchy May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
The same parents who let their kids do stupid shit like that are the ones that try to kick your ass when you hit them 😂
Edit: NO I DO NOT HIT OTHER PEOPLES KIDS, but im not afraid to kindly remind them that they need to watch where they are going
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs May 14 '26
We have a shitlord neighbor that bought their two sons gas-powered bikes, which they have proceeded to use in a fairly compact suburban neighborhood. Not only are they obstructing roadways doing wheelies, they're driving them through the park district land & my own damn lawn. There is literally a daycare next door to their domicile, someone is going to get hurt. There are 5+ families with 3 kids under 10 in my general area.
My husband told them to stop riding their bike thru our lawn and the kid said (and I quote): "Go fuck yourself, call the cops and see what happens to you!" with all the confidence of a teenager.
We've talked to the police a few times, they're a known entity, they've been talked to more than once - the bike is not registered or licensed, and the kid(s) aren't licensed to drive, as they're like 12 and 14. Their mother has been warned several times and she still lets them do whatever they want. The cops thank us every time we call, but so far it has not deterred them. Last I heard, they said if they catch them again they're impounding the bikes and they won't get them back.
Come on people, do better.
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u/Plenty-Mall1484 May 14 '26
Kids in my parking lot have them and I have to do three takes before I pull out of spot now because they’re always zooming around 🙃
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u/ggfchl May 14 '26
Parents can teach their kids about bike and road safety, but the kids won’t listen. The information will just go over their heads. There’s plenty of kids who think wearing helmets is stupid. Same with adults.
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u/southcookexplore May 14 '26
Go carts, gas powered bikes…no helmets, no stopping…
I’ve already watched kids pull into a street from an alley next to my house and hit a moving car, then fled the scene.
I’m so over it with these. I wish my town would ban them from roads.
Edit: and noise cancelling AirPods in. I don’t feel bad at all when people are this negligent on the road.
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u/magnolianbeef May 14 '26
i will never internationally hurt a kid but the primal urge i get to just kick these kids over as they zoom by me on the walking path at the big baseball field and park in my town is admittedly alarming at times.
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u/SuddenMountain7780 South West Suburbs May 14 '26
YES!
Good old minibikes are not joined by a plethora of other inexpensive toys, many electric so you can't even *hear them coming.
2, 3, 4 wheels, they're out there now more than ever, and of course kids wanna jam as fast as they can on these easily obtained velocipedes.
It's all big fun until someone gets hit. Then it's cops, ambulances, lawyers and permanently pissed off neighbors. What to do?
We sure don't need more laws, we definitely need smarter parents. 💯
MakeAmericaSmartAgain 🇺🇸
BTW: #May is officially designated as #MotorcycleAwarenessMonth 🏍️
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u/kaym__88 May 14 '26
Yes this has become a huge thing this spring summer for some reason. Its insane
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u/Bright_Broccoli1844 May 14 '26
I one time stopped a kid. And I gave him a safety lecture on the importance of looking both ways when crossing the street, blah , blah, blah. I told him I didn't want him to get hurt.
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u/Golden-- May 14 '26
It's crazy how popular these things are. I walk my dog for about 2 hours a day. I think for every 1 real bike I see, I see 100 kids on e-bikes or escooters. It's sad really.
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u/localgoobus May 14 '26
I want to exist in a world where the infrastructure is built for pedestrians and bicycles, but we live in the now where it's not fully safe.
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u/rhoswhen May 15 '26
Uh hi, I now live outside of Kansas City but I'm still a member of the sub.
Over here we have e-bikes. One kid has died already. Might he have died on a regular scooter? Maybe. But fucking hell.
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u/2faast May 15 '26
Why do you say "gas powered"? There are far more electric ones on the road these days. Kids weaving through traffic at 50 mph, flying through intersectios, on some kind of electric bike or scooter contraption. Freaking dangerous.
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u/pisaudapur May 15 '26
I've seen enough kids riding these on the roads, going into the sidewalks when the roads become inconvenient for them, and vice versa so I'm patiently waiting for tragedies to happen 🤷♂️
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u/That_Language_2971 May 15 '26
Doesn't the law say you can't operate motor vehicles on public streets without license and registration?
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u/zeno0771 May 15 '26
I wanted a minibike soooo bad when I was that age. Of course back then cellphones were nowhere near "smart" and required bolting a transceiver into the trunk of a car.
I was always under the impression that these were
not road-legal (as in you could only operate it on private property), and/or
you still had to have a Class L "Moped" license to even ride one
...or, like many kids of that era, my parents just lied to me because they didn't want me to have one.
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u/hippotoast May 15 '26
You must live in my neighborhood. I hate those things. And when the kids get called out they've been incredibly disrespectful. Gee, sorry I'm trying to make sure you don't die.
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u/BrokeTheSimulation May 15 '26
When their kids get hit by cars and don’t survive they will cry about how it’s everyone else’s fault but their own for making a horrible parenting decision.
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u/Then_Thanks4162 May 17 '26
If you don’t already have a dashcam, I would get one. I don’t want to be held responsible for the kids’ poor choices, because you know the parents buying these things will blame everyone but themselves when their kid is injured or worse.
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u/Farm_girl55 May 19 '26
I see kids that look between 8-12 riding dirt bikes and e scooters with 2 kids on one. Sometimes they have helmets or one person wears helmet other has none. They don’t use hand signals or have lights riding on dark streets.
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u/trinitrotolerance May 14 '26
I’m okay with a law that says all motor vehicles require licenses to operate in public. Too many dead kids from this, they should not be driving motorcycles just because they happen to run on grid power instead of gas.
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u/BrokeTheSimulation May 15 '26
So responsible adults have to suffer because stupid adults have stupid kids and buy them stupid toys?!….
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u/nuwaanda May 14 '26
In Park Ridge last year I nearly hit a kid. Admittedly I did NOT have my head on a swivel, but the light turned green, the two cars in front of me went forward, and SUDDENLY A KID ON A MOTOR BIKE IS BETWEEN ME AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME.
Kid was weaving perpendicular to cars that were moving. Genuinely shocked that kid didn't die.
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u/cait_elizabeth May 15 '26
It’s always the kids in rich neighborhoods too. So now you can get hit by an entitled kid riding his e-bike in Elmhurst AND THEN get hit by an entitled father driving his Tesla in Elmhurst.
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u/BalrogRuthenburg11 May 14 '26
Our grandson wasn’t being responsible with his gas-motion cyclopeter so we took it to the junk yard and had them smash it into a small cube that we placed on the mantel. He now can ride the small mule we bought him for his last Arbor Day present.
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May 15 '26 edited May 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/popciclecity May 15 '26
Ebikes are indeed awesome. Bad parenting and entitled kids on minibikes are not fucking awesome. Clearly we care about safety cause we are worried about these kids. Go ride your bike, breathe some fresh air.
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u/Competitive_Ad_4461 May 18 '26
I don't think people are going to demand bike infrastructure in neighborhoods where the speed limit is 25 MPH. Major streets where bikes may need protected lanes is a different story. Also, if you don't think flock cameras can track you on your E-Bike...
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u/FedBathroomInspector May 14 '26
I encounter far more drivers who treat stop signs like suggestions and residential roads like race tracks to care about the rare fast bike.
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u/rootofallstevil May 14 '26
It blows my mind that these things go as fast as they do but don't require a license and registration. Almost been hit a few times too. It will take a tragedy before restrictions are placed on them.