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What to do with pesky electric bikes
By Wu Jiayin |
December 23, 2009, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE latest snarled debate over improving China's traffic concerns what to do with those pesky, seemingly omnipresent electric bicycles.
The question is whether electric bicycles - faster than regular bicycles but slower than motor vehicles - should be moved out of bike lanes and into motor lanes.
China's Standardization Administration said on December 16: wait. This announcement came in the midst of heated national debates over the administration's proposal early this month to reclassify electric bicycles as motor vehicles.
At present, in the regular bicycle lanes, the faster electric bikes can cause a lot of trouble for regular cyclists, sometimes causing accidents as they zip around. That's why the administration put forward the proposal.
But adding electric bikes to roadways would worsen the already dreadful traffic and the bikes could be endangered by heavier motor vehicles.
Electric bikes refer to vehicles that run by electricity rather than pedal power, running over 20 kilometers per hour and weighing more than 40 kilograms.
"What a mess it would be if all those electric bikes run into motor vehicle lanes!" said Lu Jinlong, chairman of the Electric Bicycle Committee of the China Bicycle Association. He said there are around 120 million electric bikes in China, most weighing more than 40 kg and capable of speeds of over 20 kph.
The real issue may not be whether electric bikes should be regarded as motor vehicles, but whether electric bikes should be banned altogether. The current General Technical Requirements for Electric Bicycles, which was formulated in 1999, stipulates that electric bicycles travel at no more than 20 kph and weigh no more than 40 kg.
Most of the electric bikes today fail to meet those standards and should be banned, said Miao Wenquan, chairman of Motorcycle Subcommittee, National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee.
"Imagine you are riding a bicycle at 10 kph. Do you feel safe if other cyclists ride their bicycles several times faster than you?" he asked. "Those who insist on using illegal electric bicycles and are actively defending their illegal behavior, regardless of other people's safety and are extremely selfish."
In deciding whether electric bikes should be reclassified or banned, it's important to remember that safety comes first.
The question is whether electric bicycles - faster than regular bicycles but slower than motor vehicles - should be moved out of bike lanes and into motor lanes.
China's Standardization Administration said on December 16: wait. This announcement came in the midst of heated national debates over the administration's proposal early this month to reclassify electric bicycles as motor vehicles.
At present, in the regular bicycle lanes, the faster electric bikes can cause a lot of trouble for regular cyclists, sometimes causing accidents as they zip around. That's why the administration put forward the proposal.
But adding electric bikes to roadways would worsen the already dreadful traffic and the bikes could be endangered by heavier motor vehicles.
Electric bikes refer to vehicles that run by electricity rather than pedal power, running over 20 kilometers per hour and weighing more than 40 kilograms.
"What a mess it would be if all those electric bikes run into motor vehicle lanes!" said Lu Jinlong, chairman of the Electric Bicycle Committee of the China Bicycle Association. He said there are around 120 million electric bikes in China, most weighing more than 40 kg and capable of speeds of over 20 kph.
The real issue may not be whether electric bikes should be regarded as motor vehicles, but whether electric bikes should be banned altogether. The current General Technical Requirements for Electric Bicycles, which was formulated in 1999, stipulates that electric bicycles travel at no more than 20 kph and weigh no more than 40 kg.
Most of the electric bikes today fail to meet those standards and should be banned, said Miao Wenquan, chairman of Motorcycle Subcommittee, National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee.
"Imagine you are riding a bicycle at 10 kph. Do you feel safe if other cyclists ride their bicycles several times faster than you?" he asked. "Those who insist on using illegal electric bicycles and are actively defending their illegal behavior, regardless of other people's safety and are extremely selfish."
In deciding whether electric bikes should be reclassified or banned, it's important to remember that safety comes first.
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