E-bike safety a hot Canyon Lake topic…and it should be

BY Aprile McKinnon

Happy Friday Canyon Lakers. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and had fun with your family and friends. There were a lot of concerning issues that went on over the 4th of July and I hope that many of you will attend the POA workshop that is scheduled on Monday to further address those safety concerns in our community.

An article I wrote regarding these issues and the meeting is on the front page in this edition of The Friday Flyer. Read it and let yourselves be heard at Monday’s meeting.

A hot safety topic right now in Canyon Lake is the riding of e-bikes in the community. I purchased one recently and so did Mark. We have really had a lot of fun on them. However, those who say, “it’s just like riding a bike,” aren’t talking about me.

We recently took a camping trip to Huntington Beach with some friends. As I rode by on my “baby e-bike,” as I call it, someone yelled out my name and I turned around and proceeded to fall right in front of about 15 people.

I just laughed, and kept it real. Thankfully my injuries were limited to just a skinned knee. My bike is very low to the ground, like me, so I didn’t have far to fall.

On the last day of the trip, the beach and the parking lots were very full. My anxiety started to rise. I started up a little hill on my e-bike to get away from the crowds. I gave myself a little boost, as you can do with a lot of these bikes, and, well, I missed the fire hydrant, but I ran into a pole. I guess I am just attracted to poles because when I was a kid I did the same thing and broke my wrist. I laughed that one off, too. What else could I do? Give up? Not me. Never.

Well, I tell you all this because I am just not that coordinated, but I have had a blast on this thing. I am the one you will see, though, on our streets with a helmet for sure, and I am OK with it. I have brake lights and a front light. I’m thinking of installing some mirrors, too.

These bikes are a lot of fun, but they do go fast and can be dangerous. It is easy to not see me because I am so low to the ground, which makes me concerned for the kids. It is easy to miss those of us who are vertically challenged.

While it is the law to wear a helmet for kids, I don’t see a lot of them here in the lake wearing them. I am not a kid, but I see the value of wearing a helmet after all my mishaps.

Please don’t honk at me when you see me on the street or call my name…you might make me fall. Mark and I have really enjoyed riding around the neighborhood. It makes for a nice date night. It is cool just before the sun sets and the sky is amazing.

Enjoy your weekend. It is my son’s birthday and I am going with my very coordinated man to the beach with our bikes to enjoy the sun with my son.

I have to first spend time watching him surf, which, next to his music, is his favorite thing to do. Then I will try the e-bike again and see how I do. Wish me luck.

Hope you stay cool and maybe I will see you out and about. Don’t forget to send me pictures of you, your families and friends enjoying the lake, aprile@goldingpublications.com. Be safe on the streets with your e-bikes and make your kids wear a helmet. Tell them they look cool and it’s the law.

Mark Jones and Aprile DeAnne McKinnon on our first trip on our new e-bikes in Huntington Beach. Photo by Judy Black.