Member

My Amendment 416I is on the disposal of manifestly illegal high-powered machines, which should not be on a public highway pretending to be a bike when they are in fact a motor vehicle. UK law distinguishes electrically assisted pedal cycles from motor vehicles by objective technical limits. An EAPC—a small electric bike—must have a motor of no more than 250 watts and must cut out at 15.5 miles per hour. Machines that exceed those limits or that are fitted with throttles or non-type approved batteries and motors are legally motor vehicles and must be registered, insured and ridden by licensed drivers. In practice, thousands of high-powered or throttle-driven e-bikes are on our streets. They do not meet EAPC rules and are therefore illegal for public highway use. I cannot remember which noble friend spoke on this earlier, but if noble Lords care to go down Millbank at 9 pm or 10 pm tonight, they will see dozens of these gigantic bikes, with huge fat tyres, delivering to all the blocks of flats in the Horseferry Road area. They are on the pavements, travelling at 20, 30 and 40 miles per hour, and they are an absolute danger.