Latest news with #electricbikes
Khaleej Times
8 hours ago
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Residents concerned over children riding e-scooters on roads as accidents increase
The number of electric bikes and e-scooters being recklessly operated by unlicensed teenagers is on the rise, according to concerned UAE residents. Whether riding alone or in groups, these minors are seen navigating busy roads and traffic lanes with little to no experience, often ignoring traffic laws and without any parental supervision. With e-scooters already popular, electric bikes have now emerged as the latest trend among Generation Alpha. According to parents interviewed by Khaleej Times, many children are requesting these bikes as gifts as soon as they reach their teenage years, claiming that 'everyone their age' already has one. Residents have voiced serious concerns about children riding these bikes on public roads, particularly in residential neighborhoods. Many young riders display reckless behaviour that not only endangers themselves but also poses a distraction to drivers. Authorities in Dubai have warned that parents could face legal consequences if their children violate safety regulations. As part of its 'Crime and Lesson' series, the Dubai Public Prosecution highlighted a case involving a 13-year-old girl who was injured while crossing the road on her e-scooter. It was later revealed that her father had gifted her the scooter as a reward for good academic performance. The parents were subsequently referred to court for negligence and endangering a child's life. Fatal consequences In 2024, Dubai recorded 254 e-scooter and bicycle-related accidents, resulting in 10 fatalities and 259 injuries, 17 of which were serious. The issue has become even more pressing in 2025, with two e-scooter-related deaths occurring within just three days in February - both involving minors aged 15 and 9. Dubai enforces strict regulations on e-scooter and e-bike use, including a minimum rider age of 16. In April, authorities launched a dedicated Personal Mobility Monitoring Unit to oversee violations involving cyclists and e-scooter users. The initiative aims to enhance traffic safety and ensure compliance with established safety protocols. 'Irresponsible behaviour' Abdulrahman Mubarak, a 29-year-old resident of Al Barsha, expressed his concern: 'Even though I'm not a father, it hurts to see children riding these bikes in the streets without any supervision.' He shared that during his afternoon runs, he often sees groups of children aged 11 to 13 riding multiple electric bikes, sometimes on sandy trails, other times on the road. 'I've seen two or even three children riding on a single bike,' he said. 'What shocked me the most was the excessive weight on one bike. They ended up falling, but thankfully, it was on sand, not the road, so no one got hurt.' Abdulrahman urged parents to monitor their children closely and not to give in to demands without fully understanding the risks involved. Sabta Hassan recalled a frightening incident when a teenage biker suddenly began performing a wheelie directly in front of her car on a main road. 'I had to slam on the brakes because my children were with me in the car. It was a hazardous situation,' she said. She added that such reckless behaviour puts not only the riders but also others at serious risk, noting that many of these teenagers enter the streets without paying attention to traffic or using designated area.. She urged parents not to give in to their children's requests to buy such bikes, 'These bikes don't guarantee their safety; in fact, they could be the reason they get hurt or hurt someone else,' she added. She also called on the authorities to conduct more inspections in residential neighborhoods and take action to limit the possession of these bikes, helping to ensure the community's safety. Rules and Regulations Many residents are calling on parents to take greater responsibility by supervising their children and enforcing rules around the use of electric bikes. Operating such vehicles at a young age is not only unsafe—it's illegal. The growing trend is seen by many as a consequence of parental neglect, putting young lives at risk and disrupting community safety. Current regulations require riders to: Authorities routinely seize hundreds of e-scooters and bicycles each month for violations such as riding in prohibited areas, including roads and pedestrian walkways.
WIRED
3 days ago
- Health
- WIRED
Can't Afford an Ebike? Borrow One for Free From a Lending Library
Michael Venutolo-Mantovani May 30, 2025 6:30 AM Programs that let people borrow an ebike for a few days at a time are blooming around the US. They're convenient for all, but they also provide free transport for those priced out of bike ownership. Photograph:All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. An ebike library is exactly what it sounds like: a place where people can borrow electric bikes for free for, in some instances, as long as a week. And lately, thanks to the growing popularity of ebikes, these lending libraries have begun to sprout up around America. According to some experts, ebike libraries serve two purposes: to expose potential buyers to the advantages of ebikes through a real-world test ride and to provide access to free transportation in or near lower-income communities. There are approximately 50 ebike libraries around the US, a number that has nearly doubled since 2022. Many of them are housed in local bike shops, though some are connected to traditional book-lending libraries. In many ways, ebikes have made cycling more accessible than ever. Their electric motors flatten hilly areas, where biking can be strenuous, allowing anyone who knows how to ride a bike to climb almost any hill. They enable easier commutes and around-town errands more than traditional bikes. They lighten the load of towing kids around, whether to school or simply for recreation. They ease the weight of a bike loaded with two or three or four bags of groceries. Because of this, ebikes have exploded in popularity over the past few years. According to a 2023 study published by the US Department of Energy, ebike sales in the US grew fourfold from 2018 to 2022, from 287,000 to over 1.1 million. By 2024, that number doubled, with around 2.05 million electric bikes sold in America. On a recent trip to New York City—where I visit often and almost exclusively travel via the city's CitiBike bikeshare program—though traditional CitiBikes were plentiful, the models with electric pedal-assist motors were almost always all spoken for. Even though ebikes have gotten cheaper in recent years, the price remains a major barrier of entry. The cheapest reliable ebike you can find is the Aventon Soltera.2, which will set you back around $1,100. If you want something with additional seating to haul your children around, you're looking at the Lectric XPedition 2.0, which costs about $1,400. Prices can easily climb into the mid-five-figure range, while some high-end ebikes retail in excess of $10,000. Where ebikes have given people more options when it comes to pedal-powered transportation, ebike libraries have made access more equitable. The scope, scale, and function of these libraries vary from city to city. For example, Montpelier, Vermont's library loans bikes by the week, from Saturday to Saturday. Farther south, in the Vermont town of Brattleboro, residents can borrow one of three ebikes for six days, checking them out on Fridays and returning them the following Wednesdays, allowing the library to charge the battery and make any necessary repairs on Thursdays. In California, residents of the city of Elk Grove can borrow ebikes from the lending library for as long as three weeks. One trend that seems to be growing in newer libraries is the idea of short-term loans, which can better facilitate usage for running errands or even taking a recreational spin around town. Madison, Wisconsin's ebike library has been one of the most robust in America over the past few years. Known as the Community Pass Program, it offers free usage of the city's Madison BCycle ebike-sharing program through the city's libraries. Unlike CitiBike, Washington, DC's Capital Bikeshare, or Chicago's Divvy, all of which require a credit-card-linked account for use, a Bcycle can be unlocked with a fob obtained for free at any of the city's nine library branches. All you need is a Madison library card. The fobs can be checked out for as long as a week. (The program is currently on hold through the summer while it undergoes program updates.) While Madison's library—and therefore its residents' access to BCycles—spans much of the city, several cities are strategically placing their ebike libraries in or near lower-income communities, offering a free means of transportation to people who might struggle otherwise with a bikeshare program or who are less likely to own a car. 'It costs a minimum of $8,000 a year to own and operate a car in our country,' says Arleigh Greenwald, a former bike shop owner and YouTube influencer focused on ebike travel. 'And if it's not required to own a car in order to live where you live, you've now made a person's annual cost of living so much less. If you require someone to drive to get to an affordable housing unit, it's no longer affordable.' Meanwhile, the town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, has a lending library connected to a progressive halfway house called Tomorrow's Neighbors. The library provides any of its 20 ebikes for its temporary residents who might be commuting to jobs, looking for work, or simply in need of exercise or recreation. 'In that case, not only is it addressing a transportation need but it's helping reduce recidivism,' says Michael Galligano, CEO of Shared Mobility, national nonprofit based in Buffalo, New York, that aims to make transportation easier and more equitable. Smaller cities and towns simply may not have the funds, the initiative, or the interest to install a citywide network of bike-sharing options. 'Having free access to ebikes is not a hard sell,' Galligano says. 'But where the rubber meets the pavement is the community helping to organize these programs' Some places have welcomed dock-free bikeshare companies such as Lime, but those cost a fee to unlock then the user is charged each minute they're riding In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a fleet of 100 Tar Heel Bikes—which are provided by Lime competitor Bird—can be found around the town and throughout the campus at UNC–Chapel Hill. However, those cost $1 to unlock plus 29 cents each minute they're ridden. On the other hand, the town of Chapel Hill recently announced a free ebike library, which is housed in a pair of local bike shops and is operated by town officials. According to the official announcement, the program was funded through a $129,010 grant from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, along with an additional $50,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act. Through that library, town residents aged 18 and older can borrow a standard ebike, a cargo ebike, or an electric tricycle for as little as a few hours and as long as a week. Users are also provided with a combination lock, a charging cable, and a helmet. 'Most of them have been two- to three-day rentals,' says Brian Van Cleve, a longtime staffer at Trek Chapel Hill, which, along with local shop The Bicycle Chain, is participating in the library. 'People who are interested in buying an ebike want more than a 20-minute test ride. But we've had someone here who needed a bike because they were working Doordash.' As ebikes continue to grow in popularity, the appetite for ebike libraries is expanding in concert. Galligano pointed out that Shared Mobility fields calls every week from municipalities around the US, all interested in starting an ebike library. 'These programs are launching all over the place, because cities see a need for equitable and affordable transportation,' Galligano says. 'And yeah, there's an environmental impact, there's a health impact, yeah there's a transportation impact. But there's a mental impact, too. You have to see people's faces sometimes. It's the first time they've been on a bike in years, and you can see how happy they are just being able to bike.'
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Suffolk Police vows 'zero tolerance' around illegal e-bikes
A police force has pledged to take a "zero tolerance" approach towards illegally modified electric bikes, which officers say endanger the lives of Police said it was cracking down on the use of the souped-up bikes that had been increasingly spotted whizzing around at high speeds in town bikes must meet certain criteria or they become classed as motorcycles or mopeds, meaning they must be registered, taxed and insured to be considered asked if modified bikes could seriously harm or even kill someone, PC Matthew Dilks, who has been leading the police's e-bike awareness campaign, said: "Absolutely." "These more powerful bikes are going at increased speeds and they also weigh significantly more than a normal bike," he added."Thankfully, we've not had any serious injuries to anybody, but that is a good enough reason to make sure that never happens and we get these bikes off of the roads."It's all in the interests of keeping people safe." Mr Dilks was talking to the BBC after a patrol through Ipswich town centre, which resulted in the seizure of "the most illegal" e-bike so far from a young assured the officer "it was not fast", and when asked by the BBC if he believed it could pose a danger to members of the public he said: "No."However, upon inspection it was found to be kitted out with a 1,000 watt motor, which is four times the 250 watts allowed, and a top speed of 28km/h (17.4mph) when the legal limit is 25km/h (15.5mph)."If an electric bike does not meet the standards then they are technically classed as motorcycles," said Mr Dilks."They therefore need to be insured and registered and the rider needs to wear a crash helmet."You can have a normal mountain bike that has had a battery and a motor retrofitted to it that is completely illegal because it is too powerful and goes too fast." The force's official crackdown and awareness campaign comes after concerns were raised by members of the public and local then, the likes of Mr Dilks and PC Lewis Finch have engaged with shoppers and businesses, and educated e-bike riders on what is legal and what is the last week alone they have confiscated six riders claimed to be unaware they were riding an illegally modified bike – but that was no excuse, said the officers. "Just like vehicle drivers, some people take responsibility and some buy these bikes without double checking and making sure they are legal," said Mr Finch."As always there are some people who are honestly going about their day and some who are consciously not following the rules."Either way it is important for us to educate, make sure we are strict, and have a zero tolerance approach to make sure members of the public are kept safe." What makes an e-bike illegal? The government has set out rules to help riders class their the bike meets the following specifications, then tax, insurance and a driving licence will be needed:Can be propelled at more than 15.5mph (25km/h) by the motorHas a continuous rated power output higher than 250 wattsDoes not have pedals that can propel it Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Bloomberg
17-05-2025
- Bloomberg
Bikers Like Me Should Run Red Lights in NYC Sometimes
New York City police have begun cracking down on bicyclists who run red lights and stop signs and commit other traffic violations, with a sharp increase in tickets issued and also a shift to giving offenders criminal citations that require a court appearance. This is to some extent an understandable reaction to the unsettling new normal of delivery workers and others on electric bikes and scooters zooming down New York streets and bike paths at dangerously high speeds. An overdue reaction, perhaps: Statistics from the NYPD indicate that, as with traffic enforcement in general, bike enforcement activity dipped sharply early in the pandemic and had stayed low until recently.
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
New fleet of electric bikes available to hire in Totnes
A new fleet of electric bikes will be available to hire in Totnes next 'Catbikes' are being introduced as part of South Hams District Council's commitment to promoting cycling. The bikes will be available from several places across the town and accessed by a mobile is hoped the bikes will provide people visiting and living in Totnes the chance to travel around the town and surrounding areas in a greener, more sustainable way. Councillor Victor Abbott, South Hams lead member for community services, operations and leisure, said: "We're absolutely delighted to be launching the Catbikes scheme. "Totnes is a town that is known for its commitment to sustainability, and this exciting project will give people living and visiting here to get around sustainably."The e-bikes are a fun way to travel, and the extra boost that you get from an e-bike should make cycling up hills and around town a breeze. When the scheme is up and running, we hope that it will encourage more people to cycle."The council will have representatives showing off the bikes at the Transition Town Totnes' Energy Wise and Eco-Homes Show at Totnes Civic Hall on Sunday, from 11:00 to 16:00 BST.
