Northern Ireland EAPC status.

[UlsterEPAC]

I see the DFI minister has put out a press release confirming that she will bring forward legislation as soon as possible to "simplify regulations around registration, licencing & insurance" for electric bikes. Doesn't sound as if she is going to do away with such requirements completely!

The press release is on the DFI website:

Mallon will take forward Legislation to encourage use of Electric Bikes

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has confirmed she will bring forward legislation to encourage use of electric bikes.

www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

 

[Nealh]

Hopefully they will word it accordingly that ebikes that conform to Pedelec regulations will fall inline with the rest of the UK requiring no insurance/licensing and that any bike that falls outside of the regulations will have to be tested, licensed and insured for road use.

 

[TedG]

Unfortunately there appears to be two threads on the same subject here unless someone in admin can combine them but to keep both up to date it is going to mean duplicate posts


Watching the Stormont debate this morning, one alert was as follows.

1. 'E-bikes have a role to play in climate change'
Alliance MLA Andrew Muir asks about the assembly's vote on Monday to adopt a climate emergency.
He wants to know about the prioritising of sustainable transport
The minister says she's disappointed that Mr Muir is not wearing his customary "dickie bow", to laughter around the room.
The minister says she welcomes the climate emergency declaration.
She says her decision to bring forward legislation on e-bikes will have a role to play and attended the launch of Translink's three new hydrogen-fuelled buses.



There are words in this life which really annoy me, one of them is "legislation".

 

[TedG]

As most of you would expect I have yet again voiced my (our) concerns to several MLAs regarding this press release. In honesty it is all wearing me out but I shall continue to torment them, as they have done to us.
I received this reply this morning from Paul Given who is actually a good guy.

Dear ......
The up-to-date information is what is contained within the Press Release from the Department and I am sure there will be greatly clarity on this soon. Going forward, there will be the opportunity to scrutinise the legislation through the assembly structures and I am confident a resolution will be a positive one for the cause which you are campaigning on.
Regards
Paul

 

[larneyin]

Reply to the written question submitted by my MLA:


To ask the Minister for Infrastructure what plans are there to obtain affirmative resolution in the Assembly for regulations provided within the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 to allow electric assisted pedal cycles to be categorised and controlled in the same way as the rest of the United Kingdom and the European Union.

"I am aware of the current situation regarding the use of electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs) in Northern Ireland, and I am particularly conscious of the disparity with Great Britain and other European countries.

I have therefore decided to bring forward as soon as possible the necessary legislation which will remove EAPCs from legislative scope which will align with the position in Britain and Ireland.

I believe getting more people to walk, cycle or use public transport for every day journeys will have huge benefits for all of us, cutting down on traffic congestion, and reducing air pollution as well as the added benefits to our health and wellbeing. "

Hopefully some common sense is going to prevail at last!

 

[flecc]

As most of you would expect I have yet again voiced my (our) concerns to several MLAs regarding this press release. In honesty it is all wearing me out but I shall continue to torment them, as they have done to us.
I received this reply this morning from Paul Given who is actually a good guy.

Dear ......
The up-to-date information is what is contained within the Press Release from the Department and I am sure there will be greatly clarity on this soon. Going forward, there will be the opportunity to scrutinise the legislation through the assembly structures and I am confident a resolution will be a positive one for the cause which you are campaigning on.
Regards
Paul

Hi Ted. I've just had an email reply from Nichola Mallon which confirms the legislative change wil not treat pedelcs as motor vehicles licence. So it seems at last N.I. can be sure of equal treatment to the rest of the UK:

 

[tommie]

It has now just become a time thing..

to add to the above this latest mail from our local MLA

"Thanks for coming back to us on this.

My assumption would be that this may be a cut and paste exercise but the Minister does have to go through the processes for tabling legislation through the Assembly, which can unfortunately take time - even for very short bills.
Chris will continue to keep an eye on the progress of the legislation if it starts to take excessive time. "

 

[flecc]

.

Update on N.I. e-bike regs.

“my Department has drafted legislation and I have asked Officials to urgently review this work so that I can put amended legislation before the Assembly”. What a waste of effort when they could just adapt the existing GB legislation. They obviously like a clear NI/GB border in the Irish Sea

www.pedelecs.co.uk

.

 

[UlsterEPAC]

Just a little update, the new legislation has been discussed in the DfI Committee, so we now know what it will be called:-

SL1 - "The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020"

The committee unanimously agreed to accept the proposal, and it will now go forward for debate in the assembly, as it requires an affirmation resolution.

I haven't been able to find a copy of the proposal yet, or when it will be timetabled for debate in the assembly, but the committee did state that it will bring us into line with the rest of the UK. They also stated that the need to be registered, taxed, tested, or insured as a motor vehicle are all to be removed.

So at long last, we're on our way...

 

[TedG]

Someone explain to me the meaning of the paragraph beginning "The committee" please.
"Debates /requires / resolution".???
Thanks.
Signed
Mr Suspicious.

 

[flecc]

Just a little update, the new legislation has been discussed in the DfI Committee, so we now know what it will be called:-

SL1 - "The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020"

Other than the year and N.I. reference, that is identical to the title of our mainland regulation:

"The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983"

So I think my belief that your laws would be identical is likely to be justified.
.

 

[flecc]

Someone explain to me the meaning of the paragraph beginning "The committee" please.
"Debates /requires / resolution".???
Thanks.
Signed
Mr Suspicious.

See my post above Ted.

Your Assembly will need to approve of course, but considering the desire to be treated identically to the mainland, I don't see any problem in this uncontentional concession.
.

 

[TedG]

So I think my belief that your laws would be identical is likely to be justified.

Wasn't too much to ask, was it?
Most of my working life spent in auto engineering - pretty glad I never thought of being a politician

 

[sjpt]

I don't see any problem in this uncontentional concession.

The problem is the amount of bureaucracy required to make it happen.

 

[flecc]

The problem is the amount of bureaucracy required to make it happen.

While largely true, at least there's hardly any drafting with copy and paste.

It could be difficult for Assembly members to make any variation since being a construction and use regulation, it's subject to the 168/2013 Two and Three Wheeled Type Approval Regulation exemption (h) for pedelecs. This specifies exactly what constitutes a pedelec.

The Assembly did pass that type approval regulation into N.I. law during one of their brief breaks between not sitting.
.

 

[tommie]

Someone explain to me the meaning of the paragraph beginning "The committee" please.
"Debates /requires / resolution".???
Thanks.
Signed
Mr Suspicious.

Hi Ted,
Fast forward to aprox 1:45:15

 

[UlsterEPAC]

Someone explain to me the meaning of the paragraph beginning "The committee" please.
"Debates /requires / resolution".???
Thanks.
Signed
Mr Suspicious.

Ted,

Basically, from my understanding, what has to happen, is the minister raises a proposal, the committee has to approve, amend or reject it (these steps are now done). The minister then submits it as a bill to the speaker (at this stage we should see exactly what is in it). If the speaker accepts it as within the assembly's competency, it goes forward for debate in the assembly. Hopefully it will be proposed and accepted for accelerated passage, so that it doesn't need to go to a scrutiny committee. After that, first and second reading in the assembly, and if no changes are made it goes for final reading and approval.

All being well, it will be accepted by the attorney general, and receive Royal Assent. After that it's law, and we can get on the road.

As you can imagine this could take a while. If it gets accelerated passage, it could be done in less than 2 months, if not, looking at the passage of previous legislation, 6 months is not unusual.

 

[TedG]

Thank you Ulster.
The complexities of this relatively simple requirement is mind boggling.
I had written a selection of lines just there but have deleted them all.

 

[tommie]

Ted,

Basically, from my understanding, what has to happen, is the minister raises a proposal, the committee has to approve, amend or reject it (these steps are now done). The minister then submits it as a bill to the speaker (at this stage we should see exactly what is in it). If the speaker accepts it as within the assembly's competency, it goes forward for debate in the assembly. Hopefully it will be proposed and accepted for accelerated passage, so that it doesn't need to go to a scrutiny committee. After that, first and second reading in the assembly, and if no changes are made it goes for final reading and approval.

All being well, it will be accepted by the attorney general, and receive Royal Assent. After that it's law, and we can get on the road.

As you can imagine this could take a while. If it gets accelerated passage, it could be done in less than 2 months, if not, looking at the passage of previous legislation, 6 months is not unusual.

"After that, first and second reading in the assembly, and if no changes are made it goes for final reading and approval.
All being well, it will be accepted by the attorney general, and receive Royal Assent. After that it's law, and we can get on the road."

Might be totally wrong here, but i dont think the Welsh and Scottish assemblies had to go through this long-winded palava, wasn`t it a directive from the EU for member states to accept?

 

[TedG]

After the references to personal liability insurance tentatively mentioned by Ms Mallon not long ago is there anyone considering this?
As most of you will know from my history on here, litigation was the main reason our bikes are gathering dust.
Anyone already have it, and is it easily obtainable as from distant memory I believe Anne was told that such bicycles had to be registered etc etc. Now that will hopefully change.
I rode my faithful Powabyke for many years while living in England without cover of any description but I am uneasy now.