Councilwoman Hinze Yells at Kids for Not Pedaling

Encinitas Councilwoman Kellie Hinze has evidently gone off the mayor’s ever-bland reservation. According to local social media, Hinze has been yelling at kids for riding e-bikes rather than traditional pedal bikes.

“Hey, I’ve been pushing people to ride bikes for years,” said Hinze. “I can count on two hands the number of people who have followed my advice. OK, maybe I’d have to use my toes too, but the point is the number is really small. Then what happens? E-bikes! They’re all over the place. How quickly the spread swamped us is stunning.

“I don’t begrudge Niko and his dad making bucks by selling e-bikes,” said Hinze, “but, really, how different is an e-bike from a Vespa? And I mean an electric Vespa, not the old ones with a two-stroke engine where you mix the oil and gas and pollute like crazy. For e-bikes, no registration and plate required, no driver’s license. There’s a 16 year-old-rider requirement but only if the bike can go faster than 28 mph.

“Riding a pedal bike is good exercise for anybody but especially for kids,” said Hinze. “Kids have a lot of energy. Pedaling is good for them. It builds strong bodies in more ways than Wonder bread. With an e-bike, kids just sit there and steer. It’s sedentary – like sitting at a computer, a game console or a TV.

“Well, I’m realistic enough to know kids won’t go back to pedal bikes,” said Hinze, “even though they’re good exercise and much cheaper than e-bikes. Kids can be fat and happy while zipping all over town. I’ll just push safety and hope no kid runs me down with one of those speedy balloon-wheelers.”