BBC Breakfast item today on illegally modded ebikes
- Thread starter captain nemo1701
- Start date
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Electric_Andy
Heavy Metal Fan
- Location
- Plymouth
It's odd that they have let it reach pandemic proportions before finally cracking down, rather than confiscating and educating early on when it would have been less work.
classic33
Leg End Member
Maybe, like Ireland, they're about to crack down on the use of them. Maybe one near miss or accident too many.
It was promised as part of a larger package on them a few years ago.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Yes - very much so
a few years ago a concerted crackdown and education effort in the media might have stopped a lot of it
but now a lot of people think they are normal and have no clue about the actual laws
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Yup
but then what?
GIVE CHASE
Ok - but these kids are normally local and know all the entries, alleys and gaps in everything
so unless they can be caught within a very short time then they are gone somewhere only a bike can go
and if you are in a car and do catch them - you can;t knock them off because causing serious injury is not a reasonable response to a kid riding a bike that is probably illegal
it is not like you know they just robbed a bank!
SO you need a proper operation to block off exits - which takes manpower
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Most bobbies aren't allowed to pursue 2 wheelers.
And even those that are qualified to do so have to have the pursuit authorised by the control room inspector.
And then we have this ridiculous state of affairs in the UK that if a scrote harms themselves or someone else during a pursuit the copper could potentially be prosecuted.
And even those that are qualified to do so have to have the pursuit authorised by the control room inspector.
And then we have this ridiculous state of affairs in the UK that if a scrote harms themselves or someone else during a pursuit the copper could potentially be prosecuted.
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ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
It does seem all rather excessive - I agree that you need to protect the potentially innocent
but if you run someone over (etc) because you are running away from something that is clearly a Police car then that should be down to you and you alone!
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Exactly! Sheetbags should be entirely, completely, and utterly responsible for their own behaviour.
steverob
Guru
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
Saw the strangest thing the other day with an electric bike.
There's a Greenway that was built between my town and the next village a few years back - a really well done piece of infrastructure (a big shock considering Bucks Council were involved!), wide, smooth, flat, about 3 miles long, links up nicely with other existing cycleways; the only problem is that it crosses where HS2 will eventually run, so they have to keep on digging up parts of it and building ever more elaborate detours and bridges.
It runs parallel to a very busy major road but at the same time is far enough away from it that it feels like you're still in the countryside. And of course it's very popular not only with cyclists, but also dog-walkers, joggers, etc. Travelling along it towards the end of my ride late on a weekday evening, the only people out on it at that time of day were those getting exercise.
Ahead of me I noticed someone on a bike that I was slowly catching up to, but something seemed off - only as I got closer I noticed he was not pedalling. He must have been doing about 15mph as I was averaging 16mph (with a tailwind I'll admit) and was only gaining gradually, but as far as I could tell he wasn't commuting and had no bags or anything - it was as though he was out for a ride but couldn't be bothered with the "ride" part. I followed him for a good few minutes and his legs did not move once; he might as well have been sat in a motorised armchair.
For the life of me I could not fathom the appeal of that. If you want to just go for a drive without expending any effort, hop in your car. If it's the fresh air you want, then sit in your garden or the local park. Why go to the expense of buying an e-bike and getting it modded only to use it as a slow moped on a cyclepath? And it was clearly an illegally modified e-bike given he could maintain speed without pedalling, although possibly the limiter was still on given he wasn't going super fast?
There's a Greenway that was built between my town and the next village a few years back - a really well done piece of infrastructure (a big shock considering Bucks Council were involved!), wide, smooth, flat, about 3 miles long, links up nicely with other existing cycleways; the only problem is that it crosses where HS2 will eventually run, so they have to keep on digging up parts of it and building ever more elaborate detours and bridges.
It runs parallel to a very busy major road but at the same time is far enough away from it that it feels like you're still in the countryside. And of course it's very popular not only with cyclists, but also dog-walkers, joggers, etc. Travelling along it towards the end of my ride late on a weekday evening, the only people out on it at that time of day were those getting exercise.
Ahead of me I noticed someone on a bike that I was slowly catching up to, but something seemed off - only as I got closer I noticed he was not pedalling. He must have been doing about 15mph as I was averaging 16mph (with a tailwind I'll admit) and was only gaining gradually, but as far as I could tell he wasn't commuting and had no bags or anything - it was as though he was out for a ride but couldn't be bothered with the "ride" part. I followed him for a good few minutes and his legs did not move once; he might as well have been sat in a motorised armchair.
For the life of me I could not fathom the appeal of that. If you want to just go for a drive without expending any effort, hop in your car. If it's the fresh air you want, then sit in your garden or the local park. Why go to the expense of buying an e-bike and getting it modded only to use it as a slow moped on a cyclepath? And it was clearly an illegally modified e-bike given he could maintain speed without pedalling, although possibly the limiter was still on given he wasn't going super fast?
N0bodyOfTheGoat
Senior Member
- Location
- Hampshire, UK
I've never ridden motorbikes or mopeds on the road, but I imagine the riders get a similar sense of freedom to those of us on "normal" bicycles and electric bicycles.
But that doesn't excuse the riders of using uk road illegal electric motorbikes where they shouldn't be, often without a motorbike license and with no motor insurance.
Electric_Andy
Heavy Metal Fan
- Location
- Plymouth
It's still really nice going for rides on a moped etc, it's pretty slow and feels like a bike ride without all the hard work. But that is no excuse for doing it illegaly
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
From what you say he must at least have a throttle on it
but that can be legal - but it is rare
but - at the end of the day he is "mostly legal " in that it seems his bike is limited to the 15 mph cutoff
and it is better than just driving in a car
steverob
Guru
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
I'm not sure it's the illegality of it that bothered me, it was just that it was so weird. Maybe it was because when I eventually passed him, as I looked across, he looked straight ahead with a blank expression and his body completely locked in place, gripping the handlebars as though his life depended on it - it was like he wasn't even getting any enjoyment out of it, so I just couldn't understand why he was even bothering. He might as well have been sat in one of those toy car machines that always used to be located outside supermarkets when I was growing up (do they still have those?).
