I bought an ebike 2 years ago and it’s a game changer, especially as my partner takes the family car to the office 3 days a week. It’s much, much cheaper than a car but gives me the same freedom for shorter journeys (up to 30 mins in a car), which is most of them.
The motor helps me with the hills so i don’t get sweaty and allows me to have a heavier, more comfortable bike with suspension, pannier bags for carrying things and a cycle seat for my child. Means I can do pre school drop offs/ pickups easily and actually, it’s quicker than taking the car in traffic, and reduces the cars on the road. Obviously its not great in rain but its not too bad. Ice is my biggest no go but happy to use it any other time of the year.
I got it from a local cycle shop so it’s legal and I ride it same as a normal bike, ie not on the pavement, careful of pedestrians etc. It does annoy me when other cyclists take the piss as you feel it makes it less safe for you. So I’m all for charging them as you would car drivers going through red lights.
There are some a-hole drivers who hate cyclists and aggressively overtake on narrow roads but I take great pleasure when I go past them as they hit traffic or a red light, which always happens around here! Sometimes it feels like everyone is out to get you but I’m reality it’s a very small portion of drivers, maybe 1% or less. Probably similar number with bad cyclists.
Basically, there are a-hole drivers and cyclists so we should not ban everything but just do things like this to control dangerous behaviour. You have to remember though, a car can easily kill cyclists or pedestrians. Cyclists on a legal ebike are unlikely to kill anyone. The speeds are much slower. You don’t even need traffic lights at those speeds as its slow enough for humans to react at junctions like in Amsterdam.
I wish escooters were legal as would love to have that option too for short journeys. You will only see a-hole escooter riders and dodgy cheap flammable batteries because it is illegal! As with anything, legalising and setting safe rules for their use would work better overall. You will still get a-hole riders but why punish the many for the actions of the few. Just imagine how many cars we could take off the road if both were more common and safer.
N Ireland only recently changed the law to make them ridable by anyone. Before that they were actually basically classed as motorbikes meaning you needed insurance a motorbike license and had to wear all the leathers and helmets that go along with that.
Personally I thought that was stupid as hell and that’s why there’s still basically none on the streets here.
Need a simpler law like anything capable of over 25mph should be classed as a moped.
The article and social media response highlights a few problems. Chiefly, that high speed E-bikes are effectively moped-class vehicles that people are riding as if they are bicycles.
And by that, I mean they can be ridden very dangerously. Such as on a pavement or other pedestrian zones where people do not reasonably expect a fast and quiet vehicle to be present.
I've been learning how to ride a bicycle lately as an adult, and I have rapidly gotten the impression that education around bicycle laws is lacking. Because it is actually illegal to ride a bicycle on pavement that is not marked for such use. People either don't know, are uncertain, or willingly use a pavement anyway for conveniance because nobody prosecutes for it. So many cyclists use pavement that for all my life I thought it was normal and allowed.
Cyclists who take that behaviour into an E-bike and use it the same way, especially at high speed (modified or not), present a significant risk to everyone involved. I find the following statement perfectly reasonable:
Sergeant Gareth Davies said: "While it's not illegal to own an e-bike with an electrical assistance or power output exceeding 25 kph and 250W respectively, you can't ride it on the public highway as a regular bike without registering and insuring it like a moped.
The assertion that most of them siezed in the article appear to be from food delivery drivers is interesting because it speaks to a greater issue in that industry. That the results we're seeing here could be driven by unreasonable work expectations and poor pay, encouraging these workers to use E-bikes as a cheap and hassle-free way to do their work. You can see that in how some respond to this issue with comments like:
One person commented: "Targeting hardworking people just trying to get by, well done."
Another added: "This is so hard to look at. These people are trying to earn a living and get £3 per delivery and you do this? This is vile and disgusting!"
I can agree with that sentiment, E-biking should not be targeted unreasonably. They are a good tool for when a regular bicycle does not fit your needs for whatever reason. Just so long as, like all vehicles, they are ridden safely and responsibly.
One person commented: “Targeting hardworking people just trying to get by, well done.”
One thing I’ve noticed when I get those Police postings on FB and places like that - if the Police FB posting is about stopping a driver/rider and doesn’t mention the nationality half the comments are “Why don’t you catch real criminals” and the other half are “Why are you targeting people just trying to earn a living?”. If the Police post mentions that it was a foreign driver/rider, all the comments are “Well done for keeping us safe” “Keep up the good work!”
TBF, E-assist bikes, yeah. But the modified ones that don't use pedals and are actually classed as electric mopeds - that dickheads ride all over the pavements at huge speeds, while uninsured and uninsurable? Nah. They can get in the bin.
Almost exclusively - round here, at least - driven by drug de;livery boys and wannabe gangsters.
If they were then ridden legally, yeah. As it is, the people riding them are on pavements, speeding (they can go up to 40/50mph) and ignoring traffic laws.
Ooo I dunno mate. Come to Bristol and you’ll see any number of these doing wheelies and jumping pavement curbs and running red lights.
Edit: you’re talking about cars aren’t you? I’m going to leave this comment here because it’s still true of e-scooters and funny to think that cars are popping wheelies in Bristol.
I've been learning to ride a bicycle for the my new work commute and have been brushing up on the laws and highway code. I was kind of shocked to learn riding on pavements is indeed illegal unless a sign specifies, since you see people do it all the time with no consequences.
I agree that E-assist bikes that don't exceed normal cycle speeds should likely be left alone (general education on cycling needs improvement but that's another matter) and the modified / faster ones absolutely need more scrutiny and possibly a motorcycle license or equivilent.
EDIT: Classic didn't read the article moment:
Police say it is illegal to ride the bikes without a licence, insurance and vehicle tax and that they are classed as motorcycles.
Sergeant Gareth Davies said: "While it's not illegal to own an e-bike with an electrical assistance or power output exceeding 25 kph and 250W respectively, you can't ride it on the public highway as a regular bike without registering and insuring it like a moped.
"This includes both off-road and road rights, such as byways and bridleways. You can only ride unregistered and uninsured electric bikes on private land with the landowner’s permission.
Didn’t help when one flew up behind us on a narrow pavement, no warning, smashed into my best mate and broke his leg. If it was my daughter it would have killed her. This is one instance among almost daily occurances of near misses when I’m walking of cunts on e-bikes and e-scooters speeding with zero care on narrow pedestrian walkways that are already NOT suitable for pushbikes, let alone anything else. Why not use the fucking road?!
They need to be fucking controlled and serious penalties brought in for those who use these without care for others.
It is due to nobs, and also the bikes. The power output classes them as road vehicles and therefore should be taxed, mot’ed and insured like any other motorbike.
I don’t often see this happening with 125cc bikes or anything like that. The ease of buying a full electric bike or converting one is so easily done which is why nobs are doing it.
I’m all in support for lightweight electric vehicles. It just has to be done within the law, and to be honest the law does need changing to accommodate technology changes like this.
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