Another Journalist`s Ebike Rant .

[wheeliepete]

In my view, it has nothing to do with legality, it's the way the rider behaves in a given environment. The bike you saw in the town centre tiltson, could just as easily been an irresponsible cyclist. I do agree though, that it will be a telling time when a proved illegal ebike is involved in a fatal accident.

 

[Fat Rat]

In my view, it has nothing to do with legality, it's the way the rider behaves in a given environment.

I get where your coming from but can’t agree because if there’s two riders for instance riding a bit wild one on a analog bike one electric I can guarantee people only react to the electric bike rider
It’s the same with anything it will always be the one that stands out or is slightly different that will get the finger pointing no matter what happens.

 

[tillson]

Out of curiosity, how can you tell it was 'dongled'? Speed alone isn't enough. Speed without effort?

It didn’t look right. The speed was easily 20 mph + and on a gradual uphill gradient. The bike gave the rider quite an upright position and he clearly wasn’t putting in much effort. It actually looked ridiculous. I’m a reasonable road bike rider and I’d would have been out the saddle putting in a lot of effort on that stretch to achieve 20 mph. There is no doubt that ebike was still giving a lot of assistance at over 20 mph.

Riding these illegal bike does, without doubt, attract attention and sadly it’s the wrong sort of attention which will end with us having compulsory insurance, registration, helmets and restricted access to cycle ways.

 

[LeighPing]

Riding these illegal bike does, without doubt, attract attention and sadly it’s the wrong sort of attention which will end with us having compulsory insurance, registration, helmets and restricted access to cycle ways.

A class for that type of bike already exists. So, like some car drivers, he's riding illegally, if indeed that's the case, and may be prosecuted as such.

A single car doesn't represent the rest of the cars in the world. Nor does a single ebike. Reporters whipping up paranoia are just part of the government funded, scaremongering, cash making machine. I shouldn't worry too much about ebikes crashing, legal or otherwise. As they increase in numbers, there's bound to be loads having accidents in the future. Like pushbikes that crash, they'll just make new laws for us to follow or break.

Or maybe some uninformed, stupid politician will try to do to us what they did to Northern Ireland. Whatever, we'll have no say in it. But they won't, because it'll dry up the sales. Which is about as much as they really care about.

 

[flecc]

Riding these illegal bike does, without doubt, attract attention and sadly it’s the wrong sort of attention which will end with us having compulsory insurance, registration, helmets and restricted access to cycle ways.

While within the EU this almost certainly wouldn't happen of course, but now we are leaving I fear you could be right. The EAPC regulations for pedelecs could be scrapped and them simply treated as L1e-A or L1e-B mopeds. That would involve no legal effort whatsoever since L1e's are established classes and the betting is that easy option would be taken..

That would mean the following:

Both classes subject to registration, number plate, compulsory third party motor insurance, m/c approved helmets and no access to any cycleways or shared paths; strictly roads and on-street parking only, not bike racks.

The L1e-A for the 15.5 mph machines, but they could have up to 1000 watt rating, so ideal for hill climbing and the partially disabled

The L1e-B for the up to 28 mph machines and them permitted up to 4 kW, rendering pedalling unnecessary. CBT also to be taken and a group Q, group AM, group P or m/c driving licence necessary, unless a car driving test passed before 1st February 2001.

The pedelec speed and power law breakers just don't realise how bad the consequences are likely to be if they persist.
.

 

[flecc]

But they won't, because it'll dry up the sales. Which is about as much as they really care about.

Don't be so certain. For over four decades our add-on cyclemotors were treated as full power motorcycles with all that entailed. That didn't hurt sales, they reached over a million on the British roads, some 4 to 5 times what it is now.

Politicians act for popularity and the very simple change I've described in this post above would return us to those days.
.

 

[RoadieRoger]

Get ready for more anti Ebike articles as the lady that walked into the Ebike in London has died ,
.

 

[LeighPing]

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/woman-fighting-for-life-after-e-bike-hit-and-run-in-east-london.32405/page-9#post-458278