Much like a subway line, we are looking for transit corridors that connect people from home to office, except of course we’re designing for an e-bike, not an underground train.
We want the following:
- Direct routes. We measure this by the route mileage between key points versus the “as the crow flies” distance between them.
- Good, clean pavement. Some area roads are so rough and others are so filthy near the curb that they are unsuitable. Sadly many marked bike lanes are so poorly maintained they are worthless.
- Light traffic. This causes a strong bias for residential streets, although routes do use main traffic arteries if they have ample room for bikes and reasonable separation from other vehicles.
- Slower traffic flow. E-bikes greatly reduce the speed differential between cyclist and traffic but nevertheless we’d prefer a 25 mph street over a 40 mph street.
- Fewer, easier intersections. This often overlooked factor in bike routes causes the most delay and injects the greatest danger for cyclists. We look to reduce broad, heavily trafficked main intersections on our routes.
- Ambiance. Our most critical factors are for efficiency and safety, but one of the true joys of everyday e-biking is experiencing the city in a way unavailable to others. Our routes feature bucolic residential streets, dramatic skyline views, human-scale commercial districts and other delights along the journey.
The routes are generally designed for commutes of 10 miles or less, equating roughly to 30 minutes or less for those on fast (28mph top speed) e-bikes.
Note that unlike most cycling routes, ours do not avoid steep grades. E-bikes neutralize hills. This allows us to design routes that are much more direct.
e-biking in Kansas City 