There’s a real thrill to using a hired e-bike: the sudden speed, the way they make the city smaller, and their ready availability. The machines, which have popped up across our cities in the last few years, are a simple way of nipping across town if you don’t want to use your own bike or walk, and are a blessing in places with poor public transport, like where I live in Bristol. They are hugely popular, with millions of Lime, Bolt, Voi, Dott and Forest bikes – to name but a few operators – used a year across the UK.
The pedal-assist is always welcome, particularly on hills. They’re limited to 25km/h, which you might be able to beat on your road bike, but they’re not slow. Micromobility schemes are a great idea, especially if they get people out of cars; more bums on saddles and feet on pedals is always a good thing.
News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com – should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
However, there is another side to the hired e-bike, which has become increasingly prominent at the same time as their success. Their popularity has led to a rise in concerns over the cluttering of pavements, to the detriment of pedestrians, and antisocial and illegal riding, such as riding on pavements, jumping red lights and using the bikes while under the influence.
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This could be ignored as pearl-clutching from the anti-cycling brigade, but it does go beyond that. Not only is the improper use of hire bikes annoying and potentially dangerous to other cyclists, but there is a temptation for the general population to tar us all with the same brush.
Hire bikes are transportation devices that anyone can jump on, any time, anywhere; they’re popular with lots of people, whether they’re cyclists or not. Often, then, these are people unused to riding on the road, without a helmet, just looking to get around. That’s the beauty of the system, but it comes with drawbacks, such as users not necessarily being aware of the dynamics between cars and cyclists, or cyclists and pedestrians, or cyclists and other cyclists.
In a world of culture wars, cyclists are vulnerable, and as such, it’s helpful if we can present the best version of ourselves. There’s also the acknowledgement of the fact that a sudden take up of a new mode of transport, might just require some new rules or regulations. That’s why I welcome government proposals to crack down on inconsiderate and dangerous behaviour by shared e-bike users, and also sort out the issue of parking.
It’s easy to engage in whataboutery, and, it should be obvious that dangerous and illegal driving is a bigger and more impactful issue, putting all of us at risk. But saying ‘what about’ bad drivers is to distract from the problem that antisocial riding is for a lot of people.
How this proposed law will actually be implemented is yet to be seen, but the government feels that they lack the regulatory powers needed, which could then allow local authorities to licence schemes better. Even just better rules around parking would make people’s lives better.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last week that while the hired e-bikes have many positives, they can also be a “real frustration” when left lying on pavements or when used irresponsibly. “I want to sort that by giving communities more control over where they are parked and making sure companies and riders play by the rules,” he said.
The thrill and usefulness of a hire e-bike won’t go away, tempering that thrill by ensuring they’re not a nuisance to other road users is no bad thing.
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
