By Steve Levy
Ease up on the E-Bike Ban
The first is the promising news that members of the Suffolk County Legislature are reconsidering their ill-advised ban on e-bikes.
We lashed out against this overly broad ban that would prohibit e-bikes on any road with a speed limit over 30 miles an hour. E-bikes are not just used for recreation by the young and old. They’re also an integral part of the working class’ ability to access affordable transportation to get back and forth from work or to perform errands.
Owning a car or hailing Ubers is very expensive for people on limited budgets. E-bikes provide a revolutionary method of getting around for these folks.
The legislature was rightly concerned about 14-year-olds putting themselves in dangerous situations or weaving in and out of traffic. That can be controlled without inconveniencing everyone else in society. A ban on the use of e-bikes by minors under a specific age is worthy of consideration, especially since we are seeing a huge spike in emergency room visits resulting from erratic e-bike use by children.
But don’t punish responsible adults along the way.
Curtail Tournament Reservations on Public Golf Courses
Secondly, we need to comment on an ad we saw from a group that is having a golf tournament at Timber Point Country Club in Great River
Timber Point is a county course. It, like many other county courses, are now being rented out for tournaments.
Hold on here.
Weren’t these taxpayer-funded golf courses designed and paid for to allow residents to get affordable access to playing a round of golf? When one entity can rent out the entire course for the day, it limits the opportunities for the average Jill and Joe to get in a quick round. The legislature should ban these tournaments on public courses.