As e-biking grows, U.S. cities consider easing rules on where the machines may be used

A surge in the use of electric bicycles throughout the United States is prompting cities to revise regulations that restrict their use, including bans against riding them on sidewalks and trails.

JUMP, one of five dockless bike operators in the
District, brought its e-bikes to the city last fall,
and it has become one of the most popular
services, officials said.

The nation’s capital and other Washington-area jurisdictions are among those taking steps to modernize and streamline policies advocates say are outdated, set unrealistic restrictions and confuse riders of bikes that can be run on electric power as well as by pedalling.

“The number of bicyclists in the U.S. is growing, in part because of the rise of e-bikes, but it is difficult for people to know where they are allowed to ride them,” said Morgan Lommele, with the cycling advocacy group PeopleForBikes. “The laws are all over the place for electric bicycles.”

Read The Washington Post story by Luz Lazo - “As e-biking grows, U.S. cities consider easing rules on where the machines may be used.”

Tropical thunderstorms are set to grow stronger as the world warms

Thunderstorms are set to become more intense throughout the tropics and subtropics this century as a result of climate change, according to new research.

A supercell thunderstorm in the US state of Oklahoma. 

Thunderstorms are among nature’s most spectacular phenomena, producing lightning, heavy rainfall, and sometimes awe-inspiring cloud formations. But they also have a range of important impacts on humans and ecosystems.

For instance, lightning produced by thunderstorms is an important trigger for bushfires globally, while the hailstorm that hit Sydney in April 1999 remains Australia’s costliest ever natural disaster.

Read the piece on The Conversation by a Lecturer from the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University, Martin Singh - “Tropical thunderstorms are set to grow stronger as the world warms.”