- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
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There will not be a mandated registration of electrically powered scooters because they are not allowed in British public places, the rules for bikes require pedal assist, and two brakes, scooters don't have pedals and normally only rear brakes, so not permitted, there is an allowance of 4 MPH walk assist, so you can have a button or thumb throttle which will take you to 4 MPH without pedalling, and even with pedalling it has to cut out at 16 MPH, so in real terms because an electric bike does not have gear change on front cog, only the back one, they are slower on the flat than a conventional bike, only advantage is on up hill stretches.
As to mobility scooters, you can only use them if disabled, and if you have ever tried driving a wheel chair and a mobility scooter you would understand why in a lot of cases they are better than electric wheel chairs, as to a test well for the wheel chair my mother did have to pass a test, although not mandated, and she also had insurance on both wheel chair and mobility scooter, it seems some woman who had an accident in a shop had to sell her house to pay the compensation awarded by the court, so it would be silly not to have insurance, as without it your the one who needs to pay out.
Of course same is true with a push bike, as to registration that would cost the general public money, since all mobility scooter users have to be disabled the road tax would be zero, so it would not cost them, it would cost the nation. So the situation is far from ludicrous, the problem is we want people to use electric vehicles, but then we put in rules which stop them, 250 watt may be ample for a fit 15 stone youth, but it is the over weight people we need to encourage to use e bikes, and a 22 stone 69 year old needs more than 250 watt to maintain 4 MPH up hill i.e. fast enough to balance, the 250 watt is not enough, it does not need much more, likely 350 watt would be ample, but the people who decided the limit have clearly not considered what happens when the rider is heavy.
The other problem is no back up, if my car breaks down I call the RAC or some other to get me home, if ones e bike fails you need to get home, but your not allowed on a bus with them, and during the lock down the trains have stopped running, paying £3.50 for the bike I don't mind, classed same as a dog, it means I have a way to get bike and me home, but no trains until lock down over, there are scooters, on wheel, which can be carried on a bus if required, but they are not legal to use. Not sure at 69 I want to use a one wheel, and scooter also defeats the object of getting fit, but at one time country buses had cycle racks, these need to return.
