you’d need to put registration plates onto every cycle and make insurance mandatory
I had multiple Ebikes but, no member of the public was ever in danger!
Cycling, like walking, is a right, driving a car, EV, motorbike, indeed anything that doesn’t use animal power, is a privilege.
Where do e-bikes live on that list?
E-bikes are a fairly recent innovation. If the law had been enforced from the very beginning then perhaps the genie would still be in the bottle. Bad driving has been around for a long time. I’m not condoning bad driving I hasten to add.
Yobs don’t do Laws, why is that so difficult to grasp?
They do when they get nicked!
Simple…
When is this program due to start?
Precisely! ![]()
Well, most of the Ebikes on the road in NSW are illegal. A legal ebike is supposed to only assist the rider and the electric motor is not supposed to operate unless there is pressure and rotation on the pedals. So they are still a human powered device.
Escooters are only legal in certain areas when run by rental companies with a licence to do so.
At the moment the police turn a blind eye because the NSW government has no policy about them at the moment.
Years ago the NSW government acted swifty with ICE motor powered bikes which are now totally illegal and anyone caught riding one is charged with driving an unregistered vehicle without a licence. They could do the same with Ebikes that use a throttle but don’t until the position is clarified.
Converted electric bikes have just been banned from being carried in Sydney trains but the whole situation needs legislating quickly.
Thanks for that info @Bruce
We seem to have an increasing number of e-bike food delivery folk. Their use of the Highway Code leaves much to be desired, and it’s a mystery as to why there haven’t been a huge increase in accidents involving them, cars and pedestrians.
However, they do provide a useful service within towns and cities, using little fuel and not transporting a heavy vehicle with them as they go about their business, and nor do they contribute to congestion. So, that’s something.
Obviously, there is a concern about who these riders are, but that’s not really a matter for discussion on this thread.
walking is a right unless you can no longer walk. Everything else is either optional or necessary depending on your circumstances. We live in a society that has structured our lives such that we have from A to B.
There’s a big online debate between cyclists and the disabled.
My pedal e-bike (limited to16 m.p.h) is sitting idle in the garage and has been for months. I will be riding it again if/when I can. A great enhancement to life for older almost life-long cyclists.
I don’t know about others, but I’ve noticed the novelty of e scooters seems to have worn off. I’m seeing very few on the roads. I’m not sure how many house fires were started first. That’s the other trouble with lithium - it’s highly combustible.
Like Mart, I have a legal Ebike for the Moho, but, I’m going to build another not so legal one, I am fully Ok to pedal as it happens bit it gets on my nerves, I much prefer “Cruising” at this time of life ![]()
The problem with that Annie, is you would drive the few who use cycle lanes to abandon cycling altogether.
Only the dedicated cyclists would bother to tax and insure their bikes, and these are the cyclists that ride very fast, and most cycle lanes are not built for that kind of cyclist, too many obstacles.
I think they did look at registering bikes here but the cost to record that info and issue plates would far outweigh the fee they could charge (rego is a weight tax).
They also sensibly thought that it was good to encourage cycling for the health benefits and because (nearly) every cyclist is not another car taking up road and parking space.
It says something about a government of a country who are obsessed with saving the planet when their contribution to it’s demise is miniscule, and would not not make a jot of difference if they went net zero for the rest of this century. But they continue with this charade of virtue signalling and wasting of tax payers money on nonsensical projects while the residents of that country suffer.
Surely, the main function of a government is keep it’s residents safe, and provide affordable utilities and adequate living conditions, with a good road and rail networks.
This, and previous governments have failed on all counts.
If only we had a Trump like leader to cut through all this nonsense and make Britain great again.
I’m just surprised that the majority of people in this country continue to be manipulated and conned, and just accept the the back and forth pendulum effect that occurs in every general election.
Lets all vote for Farage and the reform party, and keep them in for 20 years…Because that’s how long it’s going to take to unravel the mess that the UK now finds itself in…
Absolutely Bruce, every effort should be made to get people out on their bikes.
I’m sorry, but I don’t see the point of cycling with an electric motor assisting effort. Why not just buy a motor bike, moped, or scooter? And be taxed and insured for motorised transport.
Cyclists should have absolute priority on the roads in my opinion.
I can see cycle registration plates may never happen in UK but it’s certainly possible for cyclists to buy 3rd party liability insurance. I used to have it when I rode regularly. It’s not that expensive. Around £40 should cover it. These fast cyclists are often in cycling clubs where they are required to have 3rd party insurance. There’s going to be law-breakers in all modes of transport.
Edit:
There is a point. Effort or not, it still gets you out and about the same as a non-assisted bike. You might not see that until when/if you ever get to that stage. I used to wonder when? …but then I reached it. ![]()