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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c33zz00kpzxo

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[eltonioni]

No matter how much it looks

No matter how much it looks like one, this is not a Cadbury Creme Egg. 

 

[GMBasix]

a1white wrote:

The majority of e-bikes I see notice on my commute now (apart from the Lime bikes) are clearly illegal with the rider zooming along without any peddaling needed. You don’t need drones to spot them, a couple of police bike riders going along popular cycling routes in the morning and evening would be able to spot dozens in the space of a couple of hours or so.

FTFY

[a1white]

The majority of e-bikes I see

The majority of e-bikes I see on my commute now (apart from the Lime bikes) are clearly illegal with the rider zooming along without any peddaling needed. You don’t need drones to spot them, a couple of police bike riders going along popular cycling routes in the morning and evening would be able to spot dozens in the space of a couple of hours or so.

[chrisonabike]

Ah – but they bikes don’t
Ah – but bikes don’t have number plates! And we all know that leaves crims powerless to do anything without detection and identification. Further – those on emotorbikes habitually cover their faces – but car windscreens are transparent.

Finally – police can’t touch those on two wheels for fear of injuring them.

Did I miss anything?

[hawkinspeter]

Cugel wrote:

Perhaps the BBC is actually describing the reality rather than the theory? The reality is that there are very large numbers of ebikes being ridden that have been illegaly fixed up to avoid power restrictions. They look like ebikes.  They were sold as ebikes. They were secretly transformed into ebikes with motorbike levels of power. 

They can only be spotted as something else when ridden madly about.

When the law and its application is effective in differentiating ebikes from motorbikes disguised as ebikes – law applied to manufacturers and retailers as much as to motor software hackers – the BBC and everyone else may be able to accurately differentiate ebikes from “ebikes”. In fact, “ebikes” should become impossible to make and will revert to the more obvious electric motorbikes in design and appearance (and legal control).

It’s pointless to attempt to stop any alteration or manufacture of modifiable e-bikes as the tech involved is basic enough that people can easily cobble together something that’s more powerful.

The way to enforce the law is *GASP* by getting the police to do their job. Of course the police may decide that it’s a very low level priority (based on number of RTCs), but in principle it’s easy to spot a modified e-bike. All they need to do is position themselves halfway up a long hill and stop those “cyclists” that aren’t even pedalling and yet travelling quickly. Bonus points if they spot that the bike has a battery pack duck-taped into the frame triangle.

Personally, I’d much rather have criminal types on e-motorbikes than in a much more powerful and dangerous car. At least on a bike, the rider is incentivised to not crash as it’ll hurt and they have much better visibility of the road/traffic etc.

[Cugel]

Perhaps the BBC is actually

Perhaps the BBC is actually describing the reality rather than the theory? The reality is that there are very large numbers of ebikes being ridden that have been illegaly fixed up to avoid power restrictions. They look like ebikes.  They were sold as ebikes. They were secretly transformed into ebikes with motorbike levels of power. 

They can only be spotted as something else when ridden madly about.

When the law and its application is effective in differentiating ebikes from motorbikes disguised as ebikes – law applied to manufacturers and retailers as much as to motor software hackers – the BBC and everyone else may be able to accurately differentiate ebikes from “ebikes”. In fact, “ebikes” should become impossible to make and will revert to the more obvious electric motorbikes in design and appearance (and legal control).

[ChrisA]

One bike seized? I’m sure
One bike seized? I’m sure there were four of them.
‐‐—-
Quote “E-bike riders caught using police drone”
Did the steal the drone, as well?

[momove]

I presume they’re not idiots
I presume they’re not idiots and know perfectly well the difference. They just choose to pretend the two are the same.

[Author]

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