High power illegal ebikes getting crushed in the West Midlands

[Bonzo Banana]

Depending on your viewpoint this is either good or bad. Seems an awful waste but I guess no obvious way of re-using them but I would of thought there would be some useful spares there for legal ebikes. No way to fit legal motors to them?

 

[soundwave]

it is a total waste as all of those parts could have been sold like wheels forks ect ect the only thing to be crushed is the motors if they dont comply to law.

but where are there batts ?

 

[Bonzo Banana]

it is a total waste as all of those parts could have been sold like wheels forks ect ect the only thing to be crushed is the motors if they dont comply to law.

but where are there batts ?

I assume the batteries are removed due to risk of explosion. I have to say this really annoys me when the state crush stuff. They have crushed perfectly good cars in order to punish people and these are high value items that could have been resold. By crushing them they create more imports and a greater trade inbalance plus by not using all revenue they can get, i.e. re-selling the car they need more money from tax payers and borrowing. The stupidity of it is quite depressing. As you say these have useful parts on which should have been sold. I wonder what happened to the batteries, they are extremely high value with many good cells and should have been sold to specialists who could strip them and re-use the cells.

 

[soundwave]

plod did have this site but nothing listed since end of 2019.

Bumblebee Auctions

a m8 with a 1000w hub motor crashed in to a metal barrier going 30mph and broke it pissed and stoned out of his face and plod took the bike but never had the batt as flew off and was stashed in a back pack.

he done 2 weeks in hospital but plod gave him the bike back as frame was totaled but both wheels was ok and no charges.



it snapped where it was concreated in to the floor on one side like a car smashed in to it.

 

[StuartsProjects]

Accepting that PC Plod is unlikely to have the time to do stop and searches on potentially illegal eBikes, perhaps Councils could be funded to have 'eBike Wardens' to do the job, in a similar way to Councils that have the powers to enforce parking and do tow aways etc.

Then, whilst obviously the eBike motors should be crushed, it would be good for the environment if the rest of the seized bike parts were sold off and the money used for the Councils to fund the eBike Wardens.

 

[flecc]

Accepting that PC Plod is unlikely to have the time to do stop and searches on potentially illegal eBikes, perhaps Councils could be funded to have 'eBike Wardens' to do the job, in a similar way to Councils that have the powers to enforce parking and do tow aways etc.

They often don't and can't do these jobs though. With councils under constant cutbacks in funding from central government, it's the fringe jobs like parking control that suffer the cut backs to keep the essentials running.

My own council, one of the largest in the country, is typical. Parking control is almost non-existent, there's no parks staff, public toilets closed and they've announced they will only carry out absolutely essential work. Which in practice means hardly anything.
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[flecc]

Depending on your viewpoint this is either good or bad. Seems an awful waste but I guess no obvious way of re-using them but I would of thought there would be some useful spares there for legal ebikes. No way to fit legal motors to them?

The cost of the authorities setting up a facility to recover and sell parts would far exceed anything they could get back from selling them. I'm betting that even if they offered the function to the local bike trade with the bikes given to them free, no bike shop would take it on, too much aggro and staffing cost and too little return.
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[Bonzo Banana]

The cost of the authorities setting up a facility to recover and sell parts would far exceed anything they could get back from selling them. I'm betting that even if they offered the function to the local bike trade with the bikes given to them free, no bike shop would take it on, too much aggro and staffing cost and too little return.
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I don't agree with your comments but I'm hoping that when they removed the batteries that wasn't just for separate disposal but to sell on because those are probably the highest value item in these bikes which often cost thousands. In recycling centres staff just put good stuff aside either to sell in re-use shops or get collected by local companies maybe charity bicycle workshops for bikes that are thrown out. I'd see a similar arrangement possible for these bikes and other seized goods that have usable parts of value.

 

[NSansom]

Accepting that PC Plod is unlikely to have the time to do stop and searches on potentially illegal eBikes, perhaps Councils could be funded to have 'eBike Wardens' to do the job, in a similar way to Councils that have the powers to enforce parking and do tow aways etc.

Then, whilst obviously the eBike motors should be crushed, it would be good for the environment if the rest of the seized bike parts were sold off and the money used for the Councils to fund the eBike Wardens.

Ah yes, councils could repurpose all those people they employed as Covid Wardens. The ones who use to harass people for not socially distancing enough or not wearing their masks properly...

 

[Bonzo Banana]

They often don't and can't do these jobs though. With councils under constant cutbacks in funding from central government, it's the fringe jobs like parking control that suffer the cut backs to keep the essentials running.

My own council, one of the largest in the country, is typical. Parking control is almost non-existent, there's no parks staff, public toilets closed and they've announced they will only carry out absolutely essential work. Which in practice means hardly anything.
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Likely this will get far worse sadly, we are heading for recession and have huge debts which are getting harder and harder to service, the government has sold off many assets and liberally spent money and we have had a large trade deficit for many years. International banks may lose confidence in the UK economy and sterling and simply not lend the UK economy any more money. We are destined to become much, much poorer. When we start paying back our debts which we haven't started yet this will contract GDP badly as it will mean money extracted from the economy. As a country we have become economically illiterate both the public and politicians which contrasts greatly with a long history of a well managed economy. We are probably in a time where a well managed economy is critically important too what with global warming and other issues.

 

[flecc]

Likely this will get far worse sadly, we are heading for recession and have huge debts which are getting harder and harder to service, the government has sold off many assets and liberally spent money and we have had a large trade deficit for many years. International banks may lose confidence in the UK economy and sterling and simply not lend the UK economy any more money. We are destined to become much, much poorer. When we start paying back our debts which we haven't started yet this will contract GDP badly as it will mean money extracted from the economy. As a country we have become economically illiterate both the public and politicians which contrasts greatly with a long history of a well managed economy. We are probably in a time where a well managed economy is critically important too what with global warming and other issues.

I agree with everything you've said here. I only add that we need to stop pretending that we are a top table nation, spending on "luxury" armaments like £13 billion aircraft carriers, £100 million each F35s and assisting the USA in their wars.

I'd also scrap the renewal of Trident missile submarines which I see as painting a bullseye on Britain for any future enemy to aim at. After all, most of the worlds 300 main countries manage fine without such things and without living in fear.
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[flecc]

I don't agree with your comments but I'm hoping that when they removed the batteries that wasn't just for separate disposal but to sell on because those are probably the highest value item in these bikes which often cost thousands. In recycling centres staff just put good stuff aside either to sell in re-use shops or get collected by local companies maybe charity bicycle workshops for bikes that are thrown out. I'd see a similar arrangement possible for these bikes and other seized goods that have usable parts of value.

I ask how?

We are speaking of government here, national, local and police, all notoriously unable to do things in a businesslike manner. Just look at the inadequate shambles of recycling in this country, and that is with safe stuff. On safety grounds alone there is no way they will sell on second hand lithium batteries that have no known provenance, nor are they technically proficient enough to do so safely.

Charity bicycle workshops might be a good outlet for the bikes though, since I don't see the cycle trade being interested.
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[StuartsProjects]

Charity bicycle workshops might be a good outlet for the bikes though, since I don't see the cycle trade being interested.

There is one by me, they do good work. Take in donated bikes and bits, rebuild\repair them into saleable bikes, profits to charity. You can get some bargain bikes from them, good as new really.

 

[flecc]

There is one by me, they do good work. Take in donated bikes and bits, rebuild\repair them into saleable bikes, profits to charity. You can get some bargain bikes from them, good as new really.

We have one in London, also with a very good reputation.

But hardly something to boast about of course, given the size of London and the large scale of cycling in London. Not surprising though, since the second hand market here is mostly served by the resale of stolen bikes:

The data paints a grim picture. In the past five full calendar years – 2017 to 2021 – a huge 162,943 bicycles were reported stolen in London. That's roughly one every 16 minutes.

There's probably at least as many stolen that were not reported.
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