Police warn e-bike owners after three taken off roads
GUERNSEY Police are warning islanders to be aware of how powerful their electric bikes are, after three riders ended up in the Magistrate’s Court and were fined and taken off the roads.
Under Guernsey law the motor assistance of an ebike must cut out at 15.5mph and only supports the rider in pedalling.
But some certain types of powered cycle do not have any speed limitations and are fully powered by a motor.
A Guernsey Police spokesman said they were confident that the large local cycle retailers only sold products that complied with regulations and their staff were aware of the regulations.
‘But we would warn islanders to ensure that if they are purchasing electric cycles online, or through non-official retailers, to make sure they know exactly what it is they are buying and that it complies with the regulations,’ he said.
The three cyclists affected by recent court cases faced a mixture of punishments, including motorbike bans and fines, depending on their circumstances.
David Hawley, 56, admitted riding while disqualified and without insurance after police recorded him travelling at 26mph along the Castel coast road on a bike he bought off the internet.
Timothy Gaudion admitted using a motor vehicle without insurance at Les Petites Mielles and not wearing a crash helmet. He had been stopped by police one evening and it was found that the ebike had a thumb throttle, could be ridden without using the pedals, and could reach a speed of more than 18mph.
Christopher Harrison admitted using his machine without insurance or a licence and while not wearing a crash helmet, after the police saw him riding his ebike uphill without pedalling.
Tests confirmed his ebike had a maximum speed of 17mph.
Judge Graeme McKerrell oversaw all three cases and noted in court that the issue of whether an electric bike came under the road traffic legislation or not was a relatively new element to be coming before the court, but he had ruled on cases relating ebikes in recent times. As a result there should be no lack of clarity for the court going forward, he said.
Each case would still be determined on their own facts but the public should be aware of the risks they take when using this type of machine.
Police said they would continue to monitor the use of ebikes on the roads.
