I had a video from one of the Pilgrims pop up on my YouTube home page discussing the problem we are facing with illegal e-bikes in the UK. It’s an interesting take, although some comments disagree…
That is a dreadful video and a complete waste of time. Lots of discussion around speed without context to what country they are in; video showing UK / US other where laws are different; challenging that de-restricted ebikes are 'technically illegal' - no, they are illegal. Video showing electric motorcycles in an article about ebikes - why ?
We do have an issue in that all ebikes (legal / other) get tagged the same by the media without context or clarity. I get very annoyed when in Liverpool (other cities are available) and see multiple Uber Eats drivers/riders blatantly riding illegal ebikes dangerously through the streets past police who do nothing to stop them.
I'm not really sure what point the video is making. For me the law (UK/EU) is clear on what a pedalec is vs a bicycle, moped or motorcycle, so if a 2 wheel machine does not comply with those regulations, it is illegal and the rider should be in fear of the law. Also it is not new to use some value or feature of the machine to restrict who can ride them or what they are classed as, for example in my day you could only ride a motorcycle up to 250 CC until you passed your test and you had to be at least 16 years old to get a license. I'm also unclear as to the comments on the 250W restriction given that peak power up to 750W is not illegal, so its there when you need it on many bikes. I suppose the anomaly that the 15 mph speed limit only applies to the pedal assist not the actual speed the machine can achieve, may confuse some and make policeman's work more difficult but that is not a reason to change that restriction.
I do accept that the UK has really messed up in respect to e-scooters, which can be registered and used legally in the EU but still not in the UK, which does not bode well for the sale of e-pushchairs there.
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