Electric bicycles zig-zag their way around laws - at higher speeds

With the rising popularity of electric bikes, it may be time for a new set of rules and a licensing systemSingaporeTHEY'RE handy, speedy, and non-polluting, and demand for them has been whizzing on up - enough, apparently, to even pull one market player up a possible IPO path.儲存But as electric bicycles grow in popularity here - with some riders using them to circumvent existing traffic laws - should regulators consider new frameworks to govern the hybridised machines?Such a review would be timely, as it's been close to a decade since electric bike rules were first introduced into the Road Traffic Act. With strict safety requirements and specific manufacturing standards, the law is clear on what types and models of electric bicycles are allowed on Singapore roads.But when it comes to rules pertaining to the use of such bicycles, perhaps it's time for more regulatory oversight. This is especially so as riders are becoming more inventive in their use of the power-assisted machines - and in doing so, are succeeding in side-stepping road safety laws."There is a group of people who have had their licences suspended or (are) close to being suspended because of drink driving . . . so they buy electric bicycles instead," said Chris Kuah, owner of A-Tech Bike Supply."If you drink you can't ride a motorcycle, you can't drive a car. But there is no law that says that if you are a drunkard you cannot ride an electric bicycle," added Mr Kuah, whose company has been selling electric bikes since 1999.Another electric bicycle distributor, Royston Teo of MKP Bikes, told BT: "The current rules (about where these bikes can be used) are very confusing, because some are made by HDB, some are made by NParks, and so on."Under the Road Traffic Act, conventional pedal bikes and power-assisted bikes are lumped together under the same "bicycle" category.As such, they are governed by the same laws when it comes to road use. Like traditional bikes, electric bicycles can only be used on the roads, but are not allowed on pedestrian walkways, HDB void decks and public parks.This is in accordance with various regulations laid down by different government agencies, including the Singapore Police Force, the Housing & Development Board and the National Parks Board.A Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson told BT that there is currently no differentiation between the two types of bikes because "these low-power motorised bicycles have similar characteristics as conventional pedal bicycles".Since they are classified as regular bicycles, motorised bikes - like their manual cousins - are exempt from registration. When asked if it would consider having a licensing system for power-assisted bikes, the LTA said it has no such intentions as yet.But not everyone agrees."I think (electric bicycles) should be split up into a tota新蒲崗迷你倉ly different category," said Wong Siew Lee, vice-president of AIG Singapore. "They should be licensed, and it should be compulsory to make these riders buy insurance . . . These bikes can go a lot faster than manual bikes, so if they knock into a pedestrian or another vehicle, the damage is (going to be) more severe."On Thursday, AIG said that it has seen the number of injury claims involving cyclists double between 2010 (77 claims) and 2012 (166 claims)."I think it's really an increasing trend . . . There are now more cyclists on the road, especially since cars are very expensive," said Ms Wong. Her sentiment echoes retailers' experiences, who say they often sell electric bicycles to commuters looking to avoid ERP and parking costs, as well as precious time spent waiting for public transport.The lack of any licensing or tracking framework has also meant that the LTA is unable to tell how many electric bicycles are currently on the road. Likewise, while the Traffic Police says that a total of 410 accidents involving cyclists occurred in 2012, it does not differentiate between incidents involving manual bicycles and motorised ones.Bicycle distributors BT spoke to estimate that there are about 20,000 electric bikes now on the road - a number that is expected to rise as the contraptions gain in popularity.While traditional pedal bicycles used to dominate his company's sales, Mr Kuah says A-Tech now sells more electric bikes than manual ones. "Proportion-wise, it used to be 80 per cent manual, 20 per cent electric, but now it's 45 per cent manual and 55 per cent electric," said Mr Kuah.Sensing ripe business opportunities, more distributors have also hit the scene since 2004, with the number of electric bike sellers quadrupling to around 20 players today.One long-standing player in the bicycle industry - which sells manual bikes and also parts for electric bicycles like tyre tubes - even has future plans to possibly list on the Singapore Exchange.However, BT understands that plans are only preliminary at this point.Thus far, the LTA and Traffic Police have done a good job with regular enforcement operations against errant cyclists who use non-compliant electric bikes. According to the LTA, in the first half of this year, about 552 cyclists were issued summonses for using unapproved motorised bicycles that fail to live up to the speed and safety requirements laid out by the law.To supplement such efforts that regulate the make of motorised bikes, it may be time for the government to re-look its policies on electric bicycle use. Should they still be considered no different from regular pedal bikes? Should licences be mandatory after all? Close to 10 years on, these questions require serious consideration - before the exuberance for these machines zooms off, leaving everybody else in the dust.mini storage