Will type approved speed pedelecs wake the police up

[minexplorer]

A couple of things ive noticed since joining this forum. One ,most derestrict their bikes speed. And two most seem to own ,or are building bikes with way bigger motors than 250w. Ahem,for use only on private land of course.

But ive seen now the UK has just accepted type approved speed pedelecs,for legal use on the roads. Presumably only with helmet number plate,tax and insurance.

Whereas before plod took no notice of your ebike user and didnt have a clue probably about ebike legalities. Now might they be likely to start thinking..."Hes going a bit fast ,that must be one of those speed pedelecs, wheres his helmet and number plate?"

We know the chap with the bbshd or 1500w hub motor, is just on his way to some private land.But methinks this could spell trouble ahead .

 

[Stumpi]

I'd replace "most" with "some" The vast majority of Ebike users keep it standard and don't join ebike forums. The Police seem pretty stretched nowadays and I suspect Ebikes are fairly low down their list of priorities. I think you'd have to be involved in an RTA or be flying round on the pavement at daft speeds before you'd get a tug. Cruising past a Policeman at 20mph instead of 15mph is unlikely to raise an eyebrow

Four Lanes! There's a name from the past I'm now in Scotland but grew up in Pool just down the road

 

[minexplorer]

I'd replace "most" with "some" The vast majority of Ebike users keep it standard and don't join ebike forums. The Police seem pretty stretched nowadays and I suspect Ebikes are fairly low down their list of priorities. I think you'd have to be involved in an RTA or be flying round on the pavement at daft speeds before you'd get a tug. Cruising past a Policeman at 20mph instead of 15mph is unlikely to raise an eyebrow

Four Lanes! There's a name from the past I'm now in Scotland but grew up in Pool just down the road

Yes i meant most who post on the forum, not ebikers generally. Thats a bit of a jump scotland, a 250w must be a bit pushed up there i bet.

 

[Benjahmin]

The '250w' is neither here or there as, apart from labelling, there is absolutely no way the police can verify a motor's rating. There is a legal requirement for the motor to be labelled with wattage, manufacturer and some sort of EN number, I think. 250w is merely the continuous power that the motor can take without overheating and has nothing to do with the actual power being consumed at any one time. So how is yer friendly local traffic cop gonna test that?
Speed is a different matter. Assist must cut off at 15.5mph (plus 10%), so 17mph. However still tricky. So you get clocked by a speed gun going at 20mph and get pulled. 'It was all me officer, I've got very good legs for my age'! The only way he/she could tell for sure is to get on the thing and ride it. Could put it on a stand and fire it up but this will give a no load speed which isn't achievable on the road with rolling and air resistance etc. So that test is inconclusive. I don't see how these things can be verified.
Of course, if you've got some huge hub and you're doing 30 without pedalling (which I've seen) you might be heading for a pull.

For the record my Ezee is as supplied (restricted) although there are no labels on it.

 

[LeighPing]

There are many good reasons for being paranoid. Try not to make 20 mph on an electric bicycle one of them. It really isn't considered as being at all 'too fast' for safe riding. I've seen and clocked road cyclists on non electric racing bikes doing over 45 mph, through built up areas, setting off speed cameras. Do you think they got a ticket? Nope.

Let's not forget that ebikes are, in my humble opinion, the safest bikes in use today. If that wasn't the case then speed pedelecs would never have come to be.

 

[anotherkiwi]

The other day I followed a very strong chap down a long hill for a bit before passing (in a car). He was a big lad and giving it everything he had on the big ring - a rough estimate would be somewhere over 70 km/h.

In Irun the limit is 30 km/h, bicycles included. I have been a bit over by accident but tend not to ride to fast there because they will ticket you.

 

[minexplorer]

There are many good reasons for being paranoid. Try not to make 20 mph on an electric bicycle one of them. It really isn't considered as being at all 'too fast' for safe riding. I've seen and clocked road cyclists on non electric racing bikes doing over 45 mph, through built up areas, setting off speed cameras. Do you think they got a ticket? Nope.

Let's not forget that ebikes are, in my humble opinion, the safest bikes in use today. If that wasn't the case then speed pedelecs would never have come to be.

View attachment 25539

I was just making an observation, wondering if a class of ebike needing a numberplate ,insurance etc might make plod more ebike aware.I know its unlikely , but only takes a few seconds to read 1000w printed on the motor and a basic knowledge of a 250w limit .

 

[flecc]

I was just making an observation, wondering if a class of ebike needing a numberplate ,insurance etc might make plod more ebike aware.I know its unlikely , but only takes a few seconds to read 1000w printed on the motor and a basic knowledge of a 250w limit .

It's certainly possible. Probably the scarcity of such registered bikes makes it more theoretical for most of us. I scarcely see any pedelecs around, despite being in a London borough, so my chance of seeing a registered one is minimal.
.

 

[DBrown67]

Absolutely pointless getting an ebike that needs registering and insurance. Look at all the freedom you lose... can't go in parks or on canal towpaths or use any cycles lanes. You must wear a helmet and to top it off you can get done for speeding and get points on your licence.... on a push bike!

People just need to be sensible. I "cruise" at a steady rate of 10mph on the flat. Even downhill I top out at 25mph before I lose my bottle and slow down. Sign of getting old.

 

[oyster]

Yes i meant most who post on the forum

Even then, I suggest a bit of a stretch. I just ride my completely unmodified bike and have zero intention of derestricting it. I guess (and that is all it is) that despite some interest in dongles, etc., the reality is the majority are like me.

Just yesterday I was overtaken by an Audi A6 just coming up to a 20 mph zone with speed cushions. Spent the rest of the zone on his bloomin' bumper because I could pull over 20 mph all the way and go down the sides of the cushions. He found the cushions too uncomfortable and slowed down to 15 for each one - and speeded up to about 25 inbetween.

I really don't want or need to be faster than that.

 

[LeighPing]

Absolutely pointless getting an ebike that needs registering and insurance. Look at all the freedom you lose... can't go in parks or on canal towpaths or use any cycles lanes. You must wear a helmet and to top it off you can get done for speeding and get points on your licence.... on a push bike!

People just need to be sensible.

Yes, this. If you buy a speed pedelec you kiss all those freedoms goodbye. Buy a vanilla pedelec with a street legal setting that can occasionally tweak up a few more mph, without needing to lose any freedoms. No need to wear a helmet, register, fit a number plate, do a test, buy insurance for a ridiculous price. Or to get penalised for doing less speed more safely than a push bike does.. Well, you get the general idea.

They have to make things look ridiculous don't they. Obvious too, with a number plate. That's so the police will know whose tail to sit on, who to book for riding above 15.5 mph, or where they shouldn't.

 

[minexplorer]

Absolutely pointless getting an ebike that needs registering and insurance. Look at all the freedom you lose... can't go in parks or on canal towpaths or use any cycles lanes. You must wear a helmet and to top it off you can get done for speeding and get points on your licence.... on a push bike!

People just need to be sensible. I "cruise" at a steady rate of 10mph on the flat. Even downhill I top out at 25mph before I lose my bottle and slow down. Sign of getting old.

I agree,totally pointless.I was just looking at ebike articles on the net.Had Ccme across a newspaper article saying the first speed pedelecs had just been approved for the uk earlier this year.

Although my bikes are derestricted and bigger motors,i dont need the nanny state telling me how to ride.I ride my ebikes safely,with speed as appropriate to where i am. I am extremely curteous to others ,such as dog walkers,horse riders etc slowing right down to a walking pace.

 

[Fat Rat]

Even then, I suggest a bit of a stretch. I just ride my completely unmodified bike and have zero intention of derestricting it. I guess (and that is all it is) that despite some interest in dongles, etc., the reality is the majority are like me.

Agree 100%
Im another one in the supposed minority of not wanting to have speed derestrictions i like the fact i peddle above the cut off point a lot of the time it definitely keeps me fitter, allthou i must admit if they could raise it too 18mph i think it would make more sence for a lot of riders

 

[oyster]

Agree 100%
Im another one in the supposed minority of not wanting to have speed derestrictions i like the fact i peddle above the cut off point a lot of the time it definitely keeps me fitter, allthou i must admit if they could raise it too 18mph i think it would make more sence for a lot of riders

On my cycle home each day, there is a really nice bit where I have been on a gentle downward slope for some distance, turn a corner at good speed, and then there is an uphill. I absolutely love pushing myself as hard as I can and keeping it above cut off for as long as possible. Being fat and old, I am hardly claiming any major achievement in absolute terms, but it does make me feel good.

 

[Ebyke]

More chance of getting pushed off and having your bike nicked than getting nicked for speeding...and if you get your bike nicked by some lovely young persons where will the police be...Nowhere to be seen that's where..they are too busy ..you are going tobe very unlucky to find a jobsworh...enjoy your ebike and ride with care..

 

[amigafan2003]

What Police?

 

[flecc]

What Police?

True!

It's nearly six months since your last post, with that long absence you're not a police officer are you?
.

 

[BG bicycle]

Read a mention of nanny state. What does that make the Eu, given the insurance industry obvious been hustling them.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CONSIL:ST_9365_2018_ADD_1&qid=1530559444385&from=EN

Page 69 “Several industry associations (linked with the bicycle sector) also favoured that all forms of bicycle transport, including Electrically Power Assisted Cycles (EPACs), fall outside the scope of the MID.”

Page 18

“a) Electric bicycles and other types of new electric-vehicles.
The evaluation (see Annex 7) demonstrated that new types of motor vehicles, such as electic bikes (e-bikes), segways, electric scooters etc, already fall within the scope of the Directive as interpreted by the Court of Justice in its case-law. The use of these new types of electric motor vehicles in traffic has the potential to cause accidents whose victims need to be protected and reimbursed swiftly.
However, as part of the public consultation various associations representing the electric bike (e-bikes) industry argued that requiring third party liability insurance could undermine the uptake of e-bikes. But the current Directive already provides37 Member States with the power to exempt them from motor third party liability insurance. If Member States were to exempt them in this way, the national guarantee funds would bear the costs of reimbursing victims of accidents caused by these new types of vehicles. This provides the highest level of protection of victims without the need for any additional EU action. In particular, victims of accidents with such new electric vehicles exempted at....

No idea how the average Bulgarian will ever find the funds to buy insurance. Or those many who own self built ebikes. Just another directive the poorer States will ignore.

 

[minexplorer]

What Police?

Ah you live in cornwall too amiga...