Wow, even the news in the news isn't real news.

eBikes are the same as mopeds, right?
I don't see any problem with this. In the United States, mopeds require drivers licenses. Why shouldn't they in China? They are motorized vehicles.

"this is quite unreasonable and is a low blow to middle and lower class residents, practically forcing them to either ride a bicycle (which although not bad, is not convenient for most"

Why are bicycles not convenient? During rush hour they can go faster than ebikes because they can fit through narrower passages in the traffic than ebikes can.

"particularly in the hot months"

Hot months? This is Kunming we're talking about, right?

The only legitimate excuse I've heard for bicycling being inconvenient is from girls who like to wear skirts.

E-bikes in Canada (Ontario at least) do not require a license. They do require the rider to wear a helmet and are subject to the same traffic rules as cars. That means they have to yield to pedestrians, signal, stop for red lights AND DON'T RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK!

I travel a lot in Yunnan to take up various projects and meet clients. Driving a car has become a convenient and flexible mode of transportation for me and has worked out well for many years.

Some time ago I was stopped by a traffic police in Lijiang and to my SURPRISE, I was informed that a license was required to operated my automobile. The shock! That is so unreasonable as I am a middle class citizen and cannot afford the cost of securing a pilot's license let alone purchase a private jet. My only alternative is to take a train which for those of you that have traveled by train, is crowded and filthy, not to mention the unbearable heat during the summer months.

With the increase in air-travel and delayed flights, the airports are struggling to keep up with demand. By requiring a license and forcing people to take to the air instead of driving their own cars, it will cause more problems then it solves.

I think it is absurd to ask people to take dirty, crowded trains just to get across the province when they can simply get behind the wheel at their convenience. Plane tickets are too expensive. Just leave the people alone and let them drive their cars.

Tonyaod,
Did you intend that post satirically or to be taken at face value? If the former, then very funny. If the latter, then what libertarian paradise do you come from where you think requiring drivers' licenses for automobiles are unreasonable. Sleeper classes on Chinese trains are not crowded or dirty at all. They're clean, air conditioned, and a fun way to travel.
And for those who cannot afford a car or air ticket, Yunnan's bus network is vast and extensive. You can travel directly to every single one of the 100+ counties in Yunnan on a direct bus from Kunming, and once in the county seat can connect to local buses to every single town, township, and many villages in the county. While this option may be dirty, bumpy, and crowded depending on the location, at least it gives those of limited financial means, or those of us who don't want to own a car, freedom of movement on a level unheard of in the United States.

@Geogramatt, Yes! It was 100% meant as a parody of the OP's arguments against requiring licenses for riding large, heavy, fast e-bikes. My point was to show how weak the justifications were for being against such regulations.

I'm sure we can all agree that driving requires a specific set of skills and knowledge and that the licensing process (in theory) is evidence that you possess such skills. Without these skills the driver is endangering other people's lives. Same with modern e-bikes. At the speeds they can reach, these massive bikes can impart great force upon unsuspecting pedestrians causing grave bodily harm. Arguments for otherwise, in my opinion, is purely selfish.

Haha, sorry, that was dense of me.

Agreed then. It strikes me as kind of shocking that middle school students are free to operate motor vehicles on the road. Not that they're any more dangerous than the vast majority of the adults on the road, but still....

@Geogramatt, no problems bro! Just trying to have a little fun since this thread was revived, just thought I inject some humor into it.

Seriously though, we human beings tend to take the selfish road and it requires conscientious effort to try to maintain objectiveness.

I find it funny how pedestrians want to ban e-bikes, e-bike riders want to ban cars, car drivers want to ban buses, and buses just wants everyone to get out of their f**kin way. And yet, the same person would use all these modes of transportation.

My wife uses e-bike to go to work everyday and everyday would come home and complain about cars. But on the weekends when we go out, she complains about the reckless behavior of e-bikes.

Don't even bother pointing out the hypocrisy to her as her answer will always be, I don't drive/ride like that. And that's the mind set of most people.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

Cheers~

I had a similar experience when I was in San Francisco this summer.
I was riding my bicycle through the city streets, in a very 'Chinese' mindset, and it got me into all sorts of trouble when it conflicted with the 'San Francisco' mindset. Interestingly, I got yelled at by both road users above me (in cars) and below me (pedestrians).

I am a cyclist, and I hate e-bikes. They're always rear ending me because the riders are too lazy to fix their brakes, and they always ride my ass. So whenever some careless jerk in his e-bike decides to dart in front of me causing me to slam on my brakes, I'm likely to get pulverized from behind from dumb e-bike riding jerk #2. Thankfully I haven't been seriously injured (I use a helmet, safety lights, and I actually look before I turn!). I can deal with cars better, because they are easier to see and at least I can hear them.
I suppose we could always ban bicycles and pedestrians, but it seems to me it would be a lot safer for everyone (and profitable for the city) to go after incompetent operators of motor vehicles. 20km/h is plenty fast enough for e-bikes in regular city use. Live 40 miles away? Tough bananas. Pay up. I pay more to live near the city centre so I don't have a long commute.
I completely agree that there needs to be improvements in trains and buses if they want to introduce more restrictions. I'd love to ride the bus to work so that I don't have to risk my life on my bicycle. But the buses are filthy and crowded. The city needs to generate more revenue from speeding tickets, parking and licensing and use this money to improve public transit.