Merseyrail BANNING EBIKE even legal ones

[Merseyrailebikeban]

Hi.

I thought I would come on here all the parents know that on the first of January 2027 electric bikes THAT DONT FOLD will be BANNED from the merseyrail network.....Just so were clear that means any e bike that doesn't fold...your Haibike,Cube,Carrera,Voodoo the list goes on.

https://www.merseyrail.org/journey-planning/plan-your-journey/e-bike-ban/

How your children get to school, get to the sports centre, get into town...the list goes on its absolutely UNACCEPTABLE.

They've given outrageous reasoning complete nonsense, the real reason is they don't want to train staff to tell the difference between an e-bike that is legal and one that is for example bought from eBay... they want to save money at the expense of people in Liverpool in general.

Now that people that says a good thing.... what about the loss revenue from bike shops? what about the lost revenue from maintenance of electric bikes ? What about parts ?what about the employment of those people the list goes on....

Liverpool Echo have hidden this behind a paywall a outrageously stupid article

"Merseyrail set to ban common item from every train and station"

Utterly spineless,WHERE WAS THE CONSULTATION.

EMAIL transport secretary see what she thinks of this

[email protected]
Heidi Alexander

I just thought everybody should know if you go out buying electric bikes for Christmas

Nothing with wheels should be allowed on pavements unless it’s a wheelchair, pushchair, mobility scooter or small child’s bike / trike. The number of wheels it has is irrelevant.

Oops EBikes are heavy....

The size of the vehicle isn’t irrelevant

it’s about time shared pavements were made illegal and seerste cycle lanes were made.

mixing pedestrian and cyclists is not a logical idea

Seems like a sensible ban. Some of these non-folding ebikes are basically small motorbikes and are totally inappropriate on a train. The kind of training that would be needed to give enough rail staff enough specialist knowledge to make more complex safety decisions would knock on to huge price increases on tickets for everyone. A simple restriction that requires no complex training is sensible, and folding ebikes will tend to be relatively lightweight and lower power. Taking your ebike on a train isn't a human right.

I agree.

Ideally there would be a proper nationwide infrastructure for cyclists & an absolute & enforced ban on cycling on pavements.

None of these news stories mean that e-bikes shouldn't be banned.

Anything which makes roads / paths safer should be encouraged.

But there's always somebody (maybe it's always you) who comes onto these threads with the car whataboutery.

Is it safety your after or you just want to ban a mode of transport

id rather safety measures are put in for all modes of transport rather than picking out one mode and banning it.

if I came on and stated all cars should be banned, I’d see that as illogical

Banning cars would be disproportionate. Banning e-bikes specifically would not, particularly as there are large numbers of illegal ones out there.

How your children get to school, get to the sports centre, get into town...the list goes on its absolutely UNACCEPTABLE.

I'm not a Luddite and I understand the principle of adopting new tech where it exists and is helpful, but in this instance, put simply, there are other options - standard bike, public transport, walking - which worked OK before e-bikes became popular.

Banning any mode of transport would be disproportionate, it was you though that declared / anything that makes roads/paths safer should be encouraged

id rather see further regulation on any motorised vehicle, we have enough technology to stop people being able to use a motorised vehicle whether it be an electric bike or car. black boxes fitted to motorised vehicles and digital technology so people can’t ride or drive without appropriate documentation. This would reduce great numbers of illegal vehicles. Not all but it would help prevent hit and runs, uninsured and illegal motors

id rather suburban areas were changed when built to center around pedestrians and giving them priority by the way parents are aligned. Putting parents as continuous and roads crossing them - they can be raised like sleeping policemen to reduce speed and give priority and make walking safer

segregate wheeled vehicles of any type from pedestrian areas

concrete balls to prevent vehicles from crossing onto pavements

id rather not see legal law abiding people punished for their choice of vehicle and it would be better imo to encourage people to use legal electric bikes for many reasons

This is true although neither Southern nor Southeastern actually enforce these rules on the lines I use.

The big issue is that the country is flooded with illegal e-bikes and the authorities are doing nothing about it. Legal e-bikes do not have a throttle, need to be pedalled for the motor to engage, and the motor cuts out at 15.5mph. They are great for older people, those either physical limitations, carrying heavy loads, and for mountain bikers who want to focus on gravity riding.

Unfortunately what most people think of as an ‘e-bike’ now, is actually an unregistered, uninsured, electric motorcycle. Which for some reason it is legal to sell to anyone.

E-bikes should not be transportation for children, nor should they be mixed with pedestrian and regular bicycle traffic. Riders should be licensed and follow laws similar to moped drivers.

Until proper regulation is in place, I welcome anything that makes the rapid proliferation less appealing.

I ride an eBike. It's from a reputable brand, has no throttle and only assists when I pedal, and then only up to 15.5mph.

It's nothing like the electric motorbikes some people ride.

Encouraging more use of "proper" eBikes would make the roads safer as they are much safer than cars (because all bikes are because they don't weigh >1ton and don't travel at enormous speeds), plus have much lower pollution etc which is a cause of many deaths every year in the UK. They make it easy to go and fill your panniers with bags worth of shopping and lug it home in a way that would be really annoying on a non-assisted bike.

There is clearly an issue with illegal electric motorbikes but the answer to that isn't a knee jerk reaction against electrically assisted bicycles which are a totally different kettle of fish.

Fine with me. I hate those things.

They’re an absolute menace and should be licensed like motorbikes.

They are often a dangerous nuisance. Like many things the majority suffer from the actions of a moronic minority. But people managed to get to school before these things existed. Walking, cycling, public transport.

Why? Because the motor does some of the work for you? Does that mean cars are for even bigger losers, since the engine does all the work?

An ebike weighs at least twice as much as a traditional bike (and even more in comparison with your stereotypical MAMIL's ultralight racing bike) which means it does vastly more damage at the same speed as a traditional bike.

Add to that the stopping distance is significantly greater due to the weight

The average ebike rider is a less skilled cyclist than the average racing cyclist getting up to higher speeds, with less ability to take evasive action and slower reactions.

It's a perfect storm and explains why an ebike is a lot more dangerous to pedestrians and other vulnerable road user than a traditional bike.

For trains there's the fire risk (they don't often burn but if they've been crashed the risk is higher, and if they do burn they are almost impossible to extinguish) and the weight - a child or frail elderly person will be much more severely injured if a 30kg ebike falls on them than a lightweight bike.

There should be a minimum age and a licence requirement - compulsory basic training and a licence at the assessor's discretion like the old 50cc or below scooter license. An ebike is comparable to a moped not a traditional bicycle.

Got a source for these claims? It's worth pointing out that, statistically, motor vehicles kill around 10 people per day. It's noon, and one or two people were probably killed this morning. Cyclists, including those riding e-bikes, kill one or two people per year.

Illegal/jailbroken e-bikes are a massive issue in most cities, Glasgow is no exception. All deliveroo/just eat riders are using them and most of them are a total menace.

But this is a red herring when it comes to this policy. This policy is not about illegal or legal e-bikes. The policy is that if your e-bike can't be folded, you can't put it on a train. Train staff are trying to mitigate against the risk of fire because you really don't want want a battery fire in an enclosed train carriage.

I'm sure OP would be the first one up in arms if her (fictitious, commuting to school on an e-bike) child were injured in a fire on board a train.

Exactly. Most people seem to agree. Getting more trains, running on time, would also be a positive step for them, if they want more suggestions.

And all the whataboutery concerning cars. People don't try to take cars onto the train with them, do they?

Numerous time a day the train runs loaded with cars and HGVs

LPG is banned but not electric motors

Euroshuttle yes. Not through the Mersey tunnel.