UK petition to raise cut-off limit
- Thread starter youngoldbloke
- Start date
Its matter of time before that happens. Just matter of statistics as more and more illegal ebikes bikes hit the road every year
However, I still think you are bang on correct. The fact that a girl died on an e scooter (not the vespa type but the electric kick scooter type).....and precisely nothing has been done to enforce the law anywhere. Thse things are not a bit illegal but totally and utterly on any possible level
Brighton is full of them, London is full of them. Not aware of folk even getting a smack on the wrist !
D
Deleted member 25121
Guest
There was some police activity in London after the accident:
Nearly 100 e-scooter users stopped in London one week
Police are cracking down on the vehicles after a woman died when a lorry crashed into her scooter.
www.bbc.co.uk
I have no idea either but I'd bet the farm it hasnt been ! Especially outside london . Just a quick knee jerk reaction for publicity
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Deleted member 25121
Guest
The Government decided we don't need so many police and we're seeing the consequences.....
Let's stop now before this becomes the Brexit thread!
But yep, could nt agree more. And I work with colleagues who are 50% ex police. Forced out one way or another due to relentless cuts
I would like the limit increased to 18 mph and the speed limit on paths set at 15 mph. I rarely use my brakes in small town traffic. Need them when it gets busier in bigger towns and on paths at weekends.
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Nobody needs a road car that can go that fast and the owner will be trusted to respect the road code. Pedelecs are physically limited, the rider isn't trusted to respect 25 kph cut off on his own. Kind of a double standard was my point.
On my very short commute I average 22.7 kph. My top speed is in the low 40s and there are a couple of slopes where I struggle to top 18 kph, 25 kph average I can only dream of...
At the end of the day ebikes are a much more cost-effective way of commuting to work without sweating and stinking when you get there. It is a growing market, roads will be safer with more bikes and less cars (your much less likely to kill someone at 30 mph on a 20-30kg bike than a 1500kg car) obviously the laws need updating with new classes of vehicle, new mot's and safety laws etc. I agree the 15 mph limit is fine for vehicles classed as bicycles for riding on pavements and cycle paths but speed pedelecs will take off, personally as I said before I'm happy riding in the road and paying insurance. This petition is pointless, it's more classes of ebike we need and rules that make them easier to type approve but maintain safety with mot checks and age limits etc.
OK - but pedelecs are only limited in assisted speed, otherwise the only limit is in the rider - just like an unassisted bike, and the rider of both is expected to 'respect the road code', as you say. Even if the assisted limit was raised to 30 kph your commute may not become that much quicker as you already spend some time above that level under leg power alone, and a higher assisted cut off won't help on those 18kph slopes either.
Just found this after doing some Googling around the laws (ie if they'll ever change) This is my take on it
Door to door, from my (home) town into the nearest city, it's 1 hour.
You spend time walking down, waiting at the station, getting a train there, and walking some more. The actual train journey is just 26 minutes. This is 18 miles away
It'd mean that you could in theory get to work in the same time on a bike, without having to use public transport, without costing so much, and without tiring yourself out as much. You don't need to go to the gym after work because you've just spent two hours doing "light exercise" Ideally, it'd mean people wouldn't then drive into work, or even use the trains spreading illnesses when they could arrive on personal pedal assisted power. They're also not so tired after work that they simply don't have the energy to go to the gym either. If they're parents this also means more times with kids
Currently my workplace is 13 miles away, so I get there under the hour however this would allow someone to live a train journey away, and still arrive quicker than someone who uses the trains!
Door to door, from my (home) town into the nearest city, it's 1 hour.
You spend time walking down, waiting at the station, getting a train there, and walking some more. The actual train journey is just 26 minutes. This is 18 miles away
It'd mean that you could in theory get to work in the same time on a bike, without having to use public transport, without costing so much, and without tiring yourself out as much. You don't need to go to the gym after work because you've just spent two hours doing "light exercise" Ideally, it'd mean people wouldn't then drive into work, or even use the trains spreading illnesses when they could arrive on personal pedal assisted power. They're also not so tired after work that they simply don't have the energy to go to the gym either. If they're parents this also means more times with kids
Currently my workplace is 13 miles away, so I get there under the hour however this would allow someone to live a train journey away, and still arrive quicker than someone who uses the trains!
Not just you. I too think a 15.5mph limit is absolutely fine & as flecc has pointed out there already is a legal route available for all those who want to ride a faster e-bike.
They have to get their CBT first however but yes there is a route. Personally I think that instead of a CBT licence there should be a separate ebike licence given that even on the slightly faster ones they don't exactly perform like a motorbike
There are three driving licence categories relating to moped class e-bikes:
Category AM
You can drive 2-wheeled or 3-wheeled vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 25km/h (15.5mph) but not more than 45km/h (28mph).
This category also includes light quad bikes with:
- unladen mass of not more than 350kg (not including batteries if it’s an electric vehicle)
- maximum design speed of over 25km/h (15.5mph) but not more than 45km/h (28mph)
Category P
You can drive 2-wheeled vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 45km/h (28mph) but not more than 50km/h (31mph).
Its engine size must not be more than 50cc if powered by an internal combustion engine.
Category Q
You can drive 2-wheeled and 3-wheeled vehicles without pedals with:
- an engine size not more than 50cc if powered by an internal combustion engine
- a maximum design speed of no more than 25km/h (15.5mph)
.
And as pretty much anyone who has passed any driving test at all gets these categories most people can legally ride an electric moped (which is the legal definition of a deresicted ebike) so there is no problem here. All anyone has to do is get a registration number and insure it. Oh and keep off trails that aren't BOATs. Absolutely no justification for a change in the law. Maybe there is a need to make it very easy to register and insure deristriced bikes , then those riding them have no excuse for breaking the law.
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