E-bike speed restrictions (agree or disagree )

[SwampNut]

The difference is you choose to use it

How is that different from choosing to use your bike computer?

I think you may be mixing up the concept of GPS speed that is displayed on a local device, for your own use, and a company gathering your location data remotely and taking it. Two totally different things. A device using GPS *speed* data locally has no privacy implications.

 

[Growmac]

We don't all ride in the same environment. I've got one bike that I've had to 60 MPH on motor alone (yes nearly 100kmh). There are plenty of places in the open desert near me where 25-40 MPH is just fine (insane to the rider, but not a danger to others). We don't artificially limit cars. Which of course, is a potential argument that maybe we should, as the road is full of idiots.

Surely the point is that in order to use a car you need to be appropriately trained, licensed, and insured? Safety factors of the car itself are quite tightly regulated, and if you abuse the rules you can lose the right to operate that vehicle.
You can legally buy and operate a high-powered ebike such as you describe, but then all the factors that would apply to a car will and should apply.
The joy of class-1 ebikes is that the rules are identical to that for a normal pedal cycle because the risks are not meaningfully different. Should the limit be 20 mph not 15.5? I think so. Should it be possible to go further with a basic licence and insurance, similar to a 50 cc moped? Again, I think so. But the very simple, low-powered, pedal assist bikes will hopefully always have a place.

 

[SwampNut]

There is no licensing requirement to ride on the dirt as I was talking about in my post. It is already legal to buy anything and ride it out there, even for kids. Different laws would apply to roads, and already do. But the restrictions are meaningless, it would be more logical to just state a bicycle speed limit.

In a related issue that's going to hit a head here soon, those very high powered Sur-ron e-bikes are becoming super popular here. I see them almost daily. Kids are riding them on the streets, not just the desert. They are not at all legal, but not being enforced. And they are being sold with an implication of them being legal bicycles (hell no).

 

[Mikerb]

Regulations regarding the use of motorised ( electric or ICE..makes no difference) vehicles varies from country to country. The ONLY place you can use motorised vehicles in the UK are on public roads or on private land with the land owners permission. I know that differs in different countries.
Obviously the entire derestriction debate is about motor assisted speed............note that there is no absolute speed restriction for bicycles. The regulations regarding pedelecs included a specific maximum motor assisted and maximum nominal power of the motor primarilly because there was a need to fit pedelecs into a category below that of mopeds with a clear margin. What they did was to include pedelecs in the bicycle category.

As far as the EU regulations ( and for reasons of history the UK also) were concerned, to allow higher speeds and motor power would make the Pedelec category too close to that of the moped, and thus mean adding a plethora of additional legal requirements.............registration, tax, insurance, manufacturer type approval, helmets, lights, horn, testing, more age limits..etc.
Motor vehicle categories and legal requirements vary in different territories which may allow for more flexibility but as far as the UK is concerned at least, a more comprehensive revision of Road Transport Laws will be needed before any consideration can be given to increasing motor assisted speeds for pedelecs. Increasing the speed of any motorised vehicle is an unlikely cause for any MP to champion merely to win approval from a small niche of the voting public!!