New UK Govt Focus on Cycling!

[Mikerb]

Interesting segment in todays Govt briefing.....£2b investment in promoting cycling!! The promotion of public transport and increasing tax burden to discourage private car use is now turned on its head by Covid!! The Govt has assessed that in order to maintain social distancing, public transport capacity would be reduced by 90% whilst other forms of transport like cycling or private car use are of course far safer in respect of social distancing. Maybe as part of that initiative the Govt will bin the stupid EU regulations on pedelecs and enable us to increase motor assistance beyond 20kph as already applies in the US and Australia etc.

 

[R120]

The only way they will do that is if some vested interest pours serious money into the right lobbying firms to make the case - I note they are also looking into electric scooter legalisation being rushed forward too IIRC aren't they subject to the same speed limit, or maybe even lower?

Hopefully we will see some more initiative like the Green Commute scheme

 

[GrahamPaul]

Maybe as part of that initiative the Govt will bin the stupid EU regulations on pedelecs and enable us to increase motor assistance beyond 20kph as already applies in the US and Australia etc.

Just be careful what you wish for. Britain is the originator of much of the EU's Health & Safety Regulations.

AIUI, on UK roads 50cc mopeds (so named because they were required, originally, to have pedal assist) are limited to 45 km/hr - around the same limit as you are advocating. To ride one of these legally, you need a driving licence, insurance, number plates, brake lights and a proper helmet. Good luck with explaining to your HSE - who have never been known to do anything other than ratchet upwards all requirements - just why your Levo doesn't need any of these things because it's "spezial"

 

[stiv674]

I don't think changing the assisted speed limit will be high up on their list, there's already ways around that anyway for those that can't pedal without assistance

Reducing the VAT on new bikes would be good though.

 

[R120]

People forget you can perfectly legally buy and ride Ebikes with higher top speeds of assistance levels, there are several classes of peddlec, its just that as you go up the grades you start to need things like number plates and insurance. I work with one guy who has a Riese and Muller S-Pedlec like the one in this article and uses it round London.

Buying and riding an S-pedelec in the UK

It would be interesting if they re look at S-Pedelec regulation in the UK, and reduce the hoops you need to go through to own one.

 

[Mikerb]

The existing e bike regulations were designed to shoe horn e bikes into existing structures for vehicle licencing etc. That is a very different scenario to actually trying to promote them as a viable alternative to cars and public transport whenever practical. The main issue being addressed is the huge reduction in public transport capacity when each bus or railway carriage has to be organised to maintain 2m social distancing. E bikes have therefore to be an attractive proposition and that will certainly involve help with cost but is likely also to review functionality. The govt has chosen to promote cycling....it could have chosen mopeds as the way forward.