Originally Posted by
geebee
Try quoting accurately and it will make sense.
You wish low powered e-scooters banned from being classed as e-bikes, the definition between the 2 is very very fine.
If the goverment can ban the low powered e-scoots I suspect the e-bikes will be included, try legally wording it to dis-allow only scooter like e-bikes and not include any that you qualify as e-bikes in a manner that will be enforcable.
The elitism is that you are fine with your definition on an e-bike but only the bikes that you feel qualify, sounds a lot like the attitude of cyclists that scorn e-bikes, doesn't it? In what way are they currently illegal?
If they are banned for arguments sake in Oz then those that wish to ride them will have to jump through the hoops and spend a fortune as described in the previous post.
This is taken as part of the reply recieved by Lowell in the ministry's reply.
E-bikes, like conventional bikes, are designed to be propelled primarily by muscular power. We are aware of some scooters that have had non-operational pedals attached for aesthetic purposes, in an attempt to circumvent the licensing and insurance requirements for scooters. An e-bike must have pedals. If these are removed, it is no longer an e-bike. If stopped by police, a person riding one of these devices without pedals could face charges of having no licence plate and no insurance.
I don't think there's any elitism in what he's saying. To a degree, these systems go against the Ministry of Transportations own definition itself, that they're designed with pedals primarily to bypass laws and to be counted as an "e-bike"
When you look at the systems themselves, the pedals are attached and "functional", the latter term being used in a loose sense - these vehicles are not designed with adequate human propulsion in mind, and are quite literally marketed as e-bikes when they *are* indeed scooters, with a little legal bypass to put them into the e-bike category. Were I the Minister of Transportation, trust me geebee, I wouldn't allow them to be putting these things on the streets any more than these 60kph bicycles some people ride. Not without being known and licensed for what they properly are, which is scooters, mopeds, and motorbikes. These are no bicycles. Banned? no. But properly designed and registered *for what it is*, yes. Absolutely.
Its not a case of "lolol, stupid scooter e-bike", its a case of these things being utterly unsuitable as true bicycles, failed as e-bikes, and abusing the system. There comes a time when its *not* a bike anymore, and many of these systems *should* fall well beyond that threshold.