E-bikes must have number plates and insurance, MP says
MPs and industry experts call on electric bikes to have number plates and insurance for pedestrian safety.
This is so that things are regulated the same way as other vehicles, given the damage e-bikes can have if it collides with a pedestrian.
E-bikes can weigh twice as much as a conventional bicycle, and while most cannot travel faster than 15.5mph by law, some have been modified to go much faster.
According to the UK government website, people from the age of 14 can ride an e-bike as long as it meets certain requirements.
“These electric bikes are known as ‘electrically assisted pedal cycles’ (EAPCs). You do not need a licence to ride one and it does not need to be registered, taxed or insured,” the government website has said.
However, many have argued that e-bikes are no longer as safe.
On Friday 9 June, a 15-year-old boy who was riding an eclectic bike died in a collision with an ambulance after being followed by police in Salford.
The police began following the boy riding the e-bike at around 2pm on Friday, but were later forced to break off their chase due to bollards on the way.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said a short time later the e-bike and an ambulance collided on Langworthy Road.
“The 15-year-old boy riding the e-bike sadly died,” the police added.
In another incident, two teenage boys were killed in an e-bike crash in Ely earlier this year.
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and 15-year-old Harvey Evans, were riding an electric bike when they were involved in a collision.
In 2018, a woman aged 56 was thought to be the first pedestrian in the UK to die after being hit by an electric bike in East London.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports of a collision between a pedestrian and an electric-assisted pedal cycle.
Sakine Cihan, from Dalston, was trying to cross the road when the collision happened, and she was later pronounced dead in hospital.
‘It is only fair that all users are treated equally’
Ian Stewart, chairman of the Commons Transport Select Committee has said more needs to be done to keep people said.
Mr Stewart told the Mail on Sunday: “I don’t think the regulations are a good fit for new technologies.
“It’s not just e-bikes, there are issues with e-scooters and driver-assist/self-driving technology increasingly embedded in cars.”
Fellow committee member Greg Smith told the newspaper: “With more types of vehicle competing for road space, it is only fair that all users are treated equally.
“E-bikes and e-scooters can achieve considerable speeds and cause damage to other vehicles and injure people, so should have to carry the same insurance requirements and tax liabilities as users of motor cars.”
Tony Campbell, chief executive of the Motor Cycle Industry Association, which represents the sector, called for new laws to include anti-tampering measures to outlaw e-bikes being modified for faster speeds.
“We are in favour of reviewing regulation as it is clear it is outdated,” he added.
In hopes of regulating and tightening measures around bike riding – cyclists in Italy will be made to have licence plates, indicators, insurance, and wear helmets following a proposed law by its government.
Italy’s deputy PM and minister for transport Matteo Salvini announced the measures on Wednesday (7 June) in a bid to reduce the number of deaths caused by road accidents.
Mr Salvini proposed changes to the Italian Highway Code, which included action on soft mobility vehicles such as bicycles and electric scooters.
(c) Sky News 2023: E-bikes must have number plates and insurance, MP says[1]
References
- ^ E-bikes must have number plates and insurance, MP says (news.sky.com)