Electric bicycle rider taken off roads for one year

chaparral

chaparral

chaparral

Caporegime
Joined
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Guernsey
A year off the roads on a bicycle :p

https://guernseypress.com/news/2017/12/18/electric-bike-rider-is-taken-off-roads/

AN ELECTRIC bike rider has taken off the road for a year and fined, after being caught twice driving without insurance, without a licence and without a helmet in the first case of its kind in Guernsey.

Anyone riding an electrically-assisted bicycle more powerful that 250 watts or with a top speed of more than 15.5mph needs these documents.

David Hutchinson’s electrically-assisted mountain bike could travel up to 33mph, police found when they tested it.
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Shock as motorcyclist is fined for riding a motorbike without a license, insurance and helmet!
 
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The law needs changing. They want people out of cars and this is a growing tech that would suit a lot of people. No need for the power restriction just the speed and build more bike lanes separate to the road so people feel safer.

Oh and I bet he was being a **** cops do not care.
 
Seems daft when as a regular cyclist, my average speed could be upwards of 15mph quite easily. I'd say up to 30mph wasn't the end of the world, but I'd want to be wearing a helmet of sorts at least.
 
chaparral said:
If there going hammer down on electric bicycles like this then they should also make these bicycles have a number plate.
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It wasn't an electric bicycle, it was an electric motorbike (according to the UK's out of date law on ebikes).

Electric bike = limited to 15.5mph electric assistance (can pedal faster than this, but motor must not assist over this speed) and 250w continuous motor power.

Electric motorbike = capable of more than 15.5 mph with motor assistance AND/OR produced more than 250w continuous motor power.

The continent have an extra ebike class - speed pedelec or class 3 whereby the assist speed can be up to 28mph and max continuous motor power of 750w. It doesn't need a license, tax or insurance but it does require an identification plate and use of a helmet. Most states in the USA also allow the use of these speed pedelecs. We're a bit behind in this country with taking advantage of what ebikes offer.
 
"Anyone riding an electrically-assisted bicycle more powerful that 250 watts or with a top speed of more than 15.5mph needs these documents."
 
We don't want the continental laws.
My grandad didn't die at Arnhem so we could ride ebikes.
He died protecting our sovereignty and allowing ourselves to be ruled by public school boys and corporations.
 
i thought the power limit was 1kw? maybe guernsey's different.

i remember researching it when i was thinking of strapping a chainsaw engine onto an old mountain bike for fun and profit.


the ironic thing in this case is they claim 30mph is too fast for an ebike to be able to do, but theres no problem with a plain old pushbike doing that.
 
adolf hamster said:
the ironic thing in this case is they claim 30mph is too fast for an ebike to be able to do, but theres no problem with a plain old pushbike doing that.
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Is a trivial speed definition really what its about?

30mph is extremely rare to see on the roads using leg power and it's not really the bike but the cyclist... and gradient and wind assist...

On the other hand at some point an electric bike is putting out enough easy power to be considered to be a proper motor vehicle and some lines have to be drawn to describe when that is.

There's many legal descriptions which seem off but it has to be taken into context of where that energy is coming from.
 
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