This is a disaster just waiting to happen.
The injury statistics are mounting around the country but there continues to be a sense of apathy amongst the authorities.
E-bikes are effectively motorcycles. They are heavy, fast and completely unregulated. They usually have more than one person on board. Often the passenger is a young child.
Helmets are occasionally worn. They can be seen on the road or the footpath. There is little respect or knowledge of road rules.
Speeds usually seem to be around 50km/h. Most are supposedly speed-limited but this is easy to override.
There is no minimum age, there is no training, and no form of insurance.
Most e-bikes weigh 18-28kg which combined with the speed give them considerably more momentum than a standard bicycle. The potential for serious injury is high both for the rider and any pedestrian that may get in the way.
To get a standard motorcycle licence one has to be at least 17 years of age, have completed a rider training course and ride a registered motorcycle which therefore has CTP insurance.
If someone were to ride a standard motorcycle on a footpath, without a helmet or with a young child as a pillion passenger, they would be pulled over, fined and potentially face court.
E-bikes need to be similarly regulated. Age limited. Compulsory rider training and all e-bikes should be registered.
Let’s not wait for the injury tally to mount. Action is required now. It should be a simple matter of setting a date for the transition and advertising the changes. Fines should then apply.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
