Electric bicycles - who buys them?
Discussion
The whining is coming from the Mary Whitehoue, ban this sick filth crowd far as I can see.
Lots of us pointing out the restriction is set too low for average riders & we would like to see it raised, that's all. Others suggest raising the limit will result in bans, I demur from that view. Is this so hard to grasp? It's like herding cats talking to you, Benny
Lots of us pointing out the restriction is set too low for average riders & we would like to see it raised, that's all. Others suggest raising the limit will result in bans, I demur from that view. Is this so hard to grasp? It's like herding cats talking to you, Benny
monthou said:
EasternBlocGeek said:
Problem with upping the speed of ebikes to 20mph is that the proponents of this on here are speaking to (mostly) other adults with a modicum of intelligence & common sense; in other words people who can be trusted not to ride like a complete tit.
An awful lot of people in this country are lacking in the above & are a danger to others, particularly the young & the elderly, even if you restricted them to 10mph ebikes. The law plays the middle ground so 15mph it is.
I used to work with a guy who was knocked over in a pedestrian underpass when two kids on a stolen (motor)scooter came round a corner & collided with him. Was a low speed collision but he was knocked unconscious, suffered a head injury & then suffered fits in the following weeks. Had time off work, lost his driving licence (he was a bus driver), & had to be moved to basic duties (with the corresponding drop in pay) for two years until DVLA allowed him to drive again.
As much as I'd like to, I wouldn't ride a derestricted ebike as even if it wasn't my fault, I know I could be financially ruined if I collided with someone & caused them an injury such as the example above. I think the law is perfectly sensible. If 15mph isn't fast enough for an EAPC then try pedalling harder. If that's still not fast enough then buy a motorbike, register it, plate it, tax it & insure it.
Given a fair proportion of EAPC's are currently chipped presumably there's a big problem with pedestrians being mown down by riders going over 15.5mph then?An awful lot of people in this country are lacking in the above & are a danger to others, particularly the young & the elderly, even if you restricted them to 10mph ebikes. The law plays the middle ground so 15mph it is.
I used to work with a guy who was knocked over in a pedestrian underpass when two kids on a stolen (motor)scooter came round a corner & collided with him. Was a low speed collision but he was knocked unconscious, suffered a head injury & then suffered fits in the following weeks. Had time off work, lost his driving licence (he was a bus driver), & had to be moved to basic duties (with the corresponding drop in pay) for two years until DVLA allowed him to drive again.
As much as I'd like to, I wouldn't ride a derestricted ebike as even if it wasn't my fault, I know I could be financially ruined if I collided with someone & caused them an injury such as the example above. I think the law is perfectly sensible. If 15mph isn't fast enough for an EAPC then try pedalling harder. If that's still not fast enough then buy a motorbike, register it, plate it, tax it & insure it.
macp said:
Am I wrong but wasnt the last major incident including a cyclist. Sadly resulting in death. By an individual riding a standard, non assisted bike. Infact most of the stories online appear to have been caused by cyclists riding non assisted bikes. And at speeds which have been reported as in excess of 15.5mph.
Charlie Alliston ?benny.c said:
Exactly. Why are folk whining so much about their bikes being too slow then. Handwringing indeed. Just derestrict it and don’t ride like a bellend. There’s no need for a law change.
I dont think there will ever be a law change. Look at the abuse electric scooters get. But I would have to agree with this statement entirely.trails said:
macp said:
Am I wrong but wasnt the last major incident including a cyclist. Sadly resulting in death. By an individual riding a standard, non assisted bike. Infact most of the stories online appear to have been caused by cyclists riding non assisted bikes. And at speeds which have been reported as in excess of 15.5mph.
Charlie Alliston ?macp said:
I think youre right. The name rings a bell. Allegedly doing 18mph on a 2nd hand fixed wheel.
Ped stepped off pavement whilst on the phone, they collided, he was riding a fixed wheel track bike with no brakes, and was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders institution. It was the lack of brakes the court (rightly) had an issue with, not the speed iirc.trails said:
macp said:
I think youre right. The name rings a bell. Allegedly doing 18mph on a 2nd hand fixed wheel.
Ped stepped off pavement whilst on the phone, they collided, he was riding a fixed wheel track bike with no brakes, and was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders institution. It was the lack of brakes the court (rightly) had an issue with, not the speed iirc.
But the point I was trying to make was that it wasnt an ebike. And that non assisted bikes can injure or kill just as easily.President Merkin said:
He had a fixie with no brakes, an obsession with videos of people racing through the streets & showed no remorse at his trial. Had it coming imo & 18 months wasn't long enough.
No brakes is just daft, I rode fixed for many years but never without a front brake. I do understand his initial comments though; as she stepped out into the road without looking...a terrible outcome, but culpability on both sides imo, which was reflected in the sentencing.Let's be realistic about this. No UK government will raise the e-bike assistance limit where they will be used on cycle paths, lanes. trails etc. It simply isn't going to happen. They don't care that your flow is interrupted or you can't keep up with a roady on your full sus.
There have been mumblings about delivery riders recently and if the government are serious about reducing congestion and pollution in urban areas then the assistance limit is something they will probably look at in the future. I can definitely see them introducing a speed pedelec category for e-bikes that will be used on the road as at the moment we seem to have no category between an e-bike and scooter/motorbike.
The likelihood is we would end up with the system adapted across most of the EU rather than the US, which means type approval, registration and possibly insurance. So great, faster bikes, but you wont be able to use them where a 25kph limit bike can go. It probably still wouldn't be policed much but usually with more regulation comes more enforcement.
Ultimately, you'll still have to derestrict your bike or buy a speed pedelec and hope it goes unnoticed if you want ride trails and cycle paths. No different to now.
There have been mumblings about delivery riders recently and if the government are serious about reducing congestion and pollution in urban areas then the assistance limit is something they will probably look at in the future. I can definitely see them introducing a speed pedelec category for e-bikes that will be used on the road as at the moment we seem to have no category between an e-bike and scooter/motorbike.
The likelihood is we would end up with the system adapted across most of the EU rather than the US, which means type approval, registration and possibly insurance. So great, faster bikes, but you wont be able to use them where a 25kph limit bike can go. It probably still wouldn't be policed much but usually with more regulation comes more enforcement.
Ultimately, you'll still have to derestrict your bike or buy a speed pedelec and hope it goes unnoticed if you want ride trails and cycle paths. No different to now.
Edited by benny.c on Monday 18th March 14:46
trails said:
No brakes is just daft, I rode fixed for many years but never without a front brake. I do understand his initial comments though; as she stepped out into the road without looking...a terrible outcome, but culpability on both sides imo, which was reflected in the sentencing.
Yeah, decent assessment. Guy was a knob but I accept there were contributory factors.President Merkin said:
trails said:
No brakes is just daft, I rode fixed for many years but never without a front brake. I do understand his initial comments though; as she stepped out into the road without looking...a terrible outcome, but culpability on both sides imo, which was reflected in the sentencing.
Yeah, decent assessment. Guy was a knob but I accept there were contributory factors.bmwmike said:
President Merkin said:
trails said:
No brakes is just daft, I rode fixed for many years but never without a front brake. I do understand his initial comments though; as she stepped out into the road without looking...a terrible outcome, but culpability on both sides imo, which was reflected in the sentencing.
Yeah, decent assessment. Guy was a knob but I accept there were contributory factors.
Kawasicki said:
trails said:
Comments section has it on the money I think:
"Good idea. First, do cars. Then when they're under control, we can focus on bicycles."
ISA (Intelligent Speed Assist) is already implemented for new cars."Good idea. First, do cars. Then when they're under control, we can focus on bicycles."
In all honesty I would have no issues with it being mandatory in 20 and 30 limits, for all powered vehicles.
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