Speed limit petition

[pampmyride]

Speed limit petition - I see there has been others...

Petition: Increase the 15.5mph speed limit for electric bikes in the UK to 20mph

All electric bikes in the UK are subject to an assisted speed limit of 15.5mph. After this speed the bike can be ridden quicker, but the rider will no longer receive assistance from the motor. We ask government to consider adjusting the limits to be in line with US legislation of 20mph.

petition.parliament.uk

 

[jimbob]

Signed. Doubt it will make a difference unfortunately.

 

[Tim1023]

Are they all the same in the UK? In Germany there's the Pedelecs, which are limited to 15 km/h and S-Pedalecs, which can go up to 45 km/h, but need a license plate, driving licence, can't use bike lanes, etc.

 

[Spreaders]

Signed. ?

 

[Ziggyrags]

Just signed.
Wasn't aware until I saw this post.

 

[j3ayy]

Signed & Shared

 

[lightning]

This has been raised before, l agree that the 15.5mph limit is just a bit too slow for an ebike and those few extra mph make all the difference particularly on the road.

However l very much doubt that any petition raised will make any difference, it's only in the USA that 20mph pedelecs are allowed and everywhere else is 15.5mph

Most ebikes can be derestricted to 20mph if you want the extra speed, and while it's illegal there's pretty much zero chance of ever being caught.

Round here there are increasing numbers of e-scooters and these are illegal everywhere except private land, but l've never heard of anybody getting done, except for the odd one in London before they legalised e-scooters (although limited to scooter hire versions)

However in France they've really clamped down on it with a ridiculous 30,000 Euro fine or jail term if convicted riding a derestricted ebike.

l have to say that l tried my friend's which has been set to the USA limit, and being able to do an assisted 16-18mph makes all the difference and transforms an ebike for general road and trail use.
lt's not so much of a difference off road where you are generally either climbing at less than that speed, or descending with the assist turned off.

 

[Zimmerframe]

However in France they've really clamped down on it with a ridiculous 30,000 Euro fine or jail term if convicted.

And the same for whomever de-restricted it for you or sold you something to de-restrict it with.

It's ok though, we've had a curfew all winter/spring and we're on full lockdown, so you can't go out and ride far anyway (10kms) .. But if you did and went and coughed your covid all over everyone when you're not supposed to - that's €135 fine.

So someone's worked out that pedalling uphill at 26kph (assisted) is 222 times more likely to cause death than spreading a covid.

With 102,000 Covid deaths, that means that in the same time period more than 22.5 Million French people must have died from de-restricted e-bike related incidents.

 

[SquireRides]

Nah. Keep it at 15.5mph, where do i sign to say that?

 

[lightning]

l think you are safe to assume that it won't change.
But l've signed the petition anyway.

 

[Zoot Allures]

Signed ?

 

[SquireRides]

Nah. Keep it at 15.5mph, where do i sign to say that?

The only way this will work is if one of you who will sign the petition, doesn't. Could one of you, instead of signing, just post here "Offset SquireRides objection", please?

 

[Bontee]

Don’t know why you want to change things.If you need to go uphill at more than 15 mph ,go get a proper motorcycle,and if you can‘t pedal faster than 15 mph downhill with your motor switched off you need to get bigger balls,simples.

 

[lightning]

The issue l find is neither of those things, it's riding on the road where l keep hitting the 15mph assist limit.
Ebikes are hard work when the assistance cuts out, it's OK on the flat but any gradient it feels like the brakes are stuck on.

 

[Bontee]

The issue l find is neither of those things, it's riding on the road where l keep hitting the 15mph assist limit.
Ebikes are hard work when the assistance cuts out, it's OK on the flat but any gradient it feels like the brakes are stuck on.

I grant you that could be an issue.The problem (in my opinion )is this.I ride ebikes and normal bikes,at the moment there is an increasing number of ebikes on the trails,and jolly good it is too,and if we all stick to the 15.5 limit ,no one feels rushed when a bunch of electrics come up from behind,as we are all doing roughly the same speed.
So now we have fans of derestriction,well I guarantee you if a bunch of derestricted e bikes come up behind me and my mates doing 15.5 there is no way I am stopping on singletrack to let them by,they can wait.
As for legislation ,when enough unrestricted bikes start appearing on the roads trails , local woods you had better believe it won’t be long till there are complaints,then local council byelaws,then central government regulations.Then segregation into ebike only centres and normal bike only centres.
Just be careful what you wish for,there are already a number of cases where illegal e bikes have been involved in incidents and prosecution due to riding what is in effect an electric motorcycle ,no license,no tax no insurance,good luck keeping your newly acquired driving license when the clamp down starts.You got to think ahead boys.

 

[lightning]

There's no chance of the limit being raised from 15.5mph anyway.
A similar petition some time ago raised over 100,000 signatures and parliament decided not to even discuss it.

 

[Timochka69]

Rising the speed limit is a sure way to get more trail access problems. Just saying.

 

[lightning]

How is the 20mph limit working out in the USA?

 

[Bontee]

How is the 20mph limit working out in the USA?

I think the limit in the US is a red herring.They have a massive land mass,thousands of square miles with no obvious access issues for off road recreation.I spoke to a couple of mountain bikers whilst in the states ( some years ago,to be fair) but the trails they regularly rode were actively policed by national park rangers for bikes exceeding the trail limits,with speed guns,and this was for all bikes ,not just e bikes.So whilst I have no issues with 20mph on the road,I just don’t think it translates well on british off road with our somewhat smaller land mass.

 

[Barbara_Reed]

Actually, unrestricted e-bikes in France aren't illegal. They become motorbikes and the rider must wear a helmet, have insurance, and not ride on bike tracks. The fine is really for riding a motorbike uninsured.
Personally I find 25 kph perfectly reasonable. Remember, on public roads and bike tracks we are mixing with pedestrians, children, normal bikes, possibly horses. I can ride just as fast on my road bike on the flat, but if I do hit someone with it I will probably do less damage to them, it's a lot lighter. The faster one goes, the more injury one can do for a given weight. Or the same speed and more weight, of course.
If you are in that much of a hurry get a motorbike, and everything that goes with it, including the driving lessons.

 

[Timochka69]

Actually, unrestricted e-bikes in France aren't illegal.

Are you sure about that? It is not what I have read.

France bans illegal eMTB tuning with fines up to € 30,000

French legislation now bans the practice of eMTB tuning. If an individual or retailer are caught modifying an ebike to derestrict its maximum speed, the offence is now punishable by up to one-year imprisonment (two year for retailers) and up to a €30,000 fine. France is leading the fight against...

ebike-mtb.com

French Government lead on e-Bike tuning with threat of €30,000 fine

The French Government had legislated against e-Bike tuning, as well as speed pedelec modification. CONEBI has outlined the consequences of being involved.

cyclingindustry.news

French Government Introduces €30k Fine for eMTB Tuning - Pinkbike

On top of the hefty fine, the perpetrator will recieve 3 points on their license, the vehicle will be confiscated until it has been returned to normal working order and they could even face a year in jail.

www.pinkbike.com

 

[Konanige]

Not signed, happy as it is, if I want to go faster then I'll have to put more effort in.

 

[Timochka69]

I think she means arent illegal because once they become "motorbikes" they become legal because the Rider wears a helmet and gets insurance etc, so once that has been done it becomes "legal"

It will not be a type approved vehicle, so it cannot be "legal".

 

[Flatslide]

However l very much doubt that any petition raised will make any difference, it's only in the USA that 20mph pedelecs are allowed and everywhere else is 15.5mph

NZ bikes are North American models too. We have 32 and 45km/h bikes here with no restrictions for trail access or cycle lanes. Works well, although there will always be people who make the decision to take a motorcycle somewhere they should not. 32km/h is a good speed for cut-off in my experience, it makes the e-bike a more useful machine. I replaced our second car with my Rocky and now have a machine that is as capable in city traffic as it is descending a nationals track.
NB: my speed in city traffic in a 50km/h zone is around 20-25km/h. If the bike was to cut-out at 25, it would be shite tbh.

 

[johnf0246]

I had to purchase a new E8000 motor for my Ebike. The motor came from Sweden, so the top assist speed was 15.5 mph. Thankfully Shimano was able to change the top assist speed to 20 mph.

I personally don’t think having a top assist limit of 20 mph, is going cause more user conflicts than the Euro limit of 15.5 mph. So far after riding over 9,000 miles, I haven’t experienced any negative consequences. I find it really helps riding on the road back to my house and casing my friends who are riding regular bikes way out front of me.

 

[Barbara_Reed]

Sorry I wasn't saying that you can derestrict your bike yourself. Just saying that faster bikes are allowed, but not under the same rules. Yes, they do have to be type approved. No, you can't ride then on bike paths.

 

[olde-mtber]

Here in New Zealand the e-bikes are limited to 32kph which is 19.8839mph

 

[Tedgar]

How is the 20mph limit working out in the USA?

We want to raise ours to 25mph!

 

[Bontee]

We want to raise ours to 25mph!

Why ? you might as well just go full electric bike,

 

[Tedgar]

Why ?

Was just joking. Figured if everyone gets 20 then we will want 25. Merika!