Safety Officers in Leeds, and elsewhere, can't do anything about them using the pavements illegally, blocking the pavements when they park up. They can't apparently park up using the provided cycle racks, so may use street furniture to lock them to. They carry no number plates, so no tickets can be issued for illegal parking.
West Yorkshire Police officers regard them as bicycles, "They have pedals!". This means they can't do anything about them being illegal as no one set of orders seems to have been given to different every division. Personal opinion here, but I think they've been told to ignore them if possible. They can do that, but at some point, someone innocent is going to be hurt by one of them. Maybe even killed by one.
I've been pulled before by the police, because of what I was riding at the time. Fitting the lights I'd need before I got home in front of them. They're carried if I know there's a chance of part of the trip requiring them, not always fitted to the bike.
Why aren't the simple regulations, well known by many in authority, not applied to e-bikes?
I'm not thinking of anything obscure, but the simple stuff, as given above, lights, traffic signs/signals, travelling the wrong way up a one way street.
We often talk about black bike ninjas, dressed in black riding in the dark with no lights. Compound that with the possibility that you may have such a person travelling at speed, at night against the flow of traffic. Or as seen last week across three lanes of traffic going in both directions. Enforcement on these is possible, so why isn't it.
