Ah man as a committed bike commuter in a hilly place I _SOOOOOOOOOO_ identify with the what the author is saying. Something about electric bikes just ... irks me. It's totally irrational because every e-bike is presumably one less car on the road. But the bike lane should be reserved for bikes. And hard work.
For what it's worth, as a fellow non-electric bike commuter, plenty of non-electric bike commuters irk me. Whether it's jumping in front of me while I am waiting at a light, only to be significantly slower than me when the light changes. Or passing at speed on the right hand side. Or jamming up a 4-way intersection by blasting through while others are waiting. In general, some people tend to turn into assholes when they are commuting, regardless of what form of transportation they are using. If someone is using an electric bike, and they are being courteous to other road users then there really isn't any problem. And as far as I am concerned, they really aren't that different than the lycra clad strava jockeys that are already racing all over the place, with the exception that electric bike users are probably MORE likely to obey the rules of the road because it is easier for them to get up to speed after stopping.
