rfryer wrote:Ruadh495 wrote:Just a comment on the poll itself:
The two most popular responses appear to be almost identical. The current legislation is aimed at replicating (roughly) the performance of a reasonably fit cyclist and for many machines does allow power to be applied without pedaling (conversions and bikes first used before 2016).
Could we have an option for including the German/Dutch "S-class"? This would appear to be the extra class some people are asking for, a bit more power and speed but with some extra restrictions. The only reservation I would have is that S-class has compulsory helmets, which could be the thin end of a wedge.
It's probably a bit late for a change in the poll to give a meaningful result. In any case, what you're suggesting (although interesting) is orthogonal; adding another classification of vehicle, rather than exploring the boundaries of what we'll accept as a bike.
The similarity of the two most popular options was deliberate, intended to draw out whether people really cared about whether riders were drivers vs cyclists. And the pattern of responses was interesting; early responses during the day were strongly in favour of a relaxed interpretation, then in the evening the was a strong push for the status quo. I'm curious as to whether the early respondents were predominantly retired, and therefore more likely to be considering health issues that might make reduced restrictions on e-bikes more desirable.
The point I was trying to make there is that the status quo does allow drive without pedaling for many machines, due to the exceptions in the legislation. Though as the owner of a legal "throttle" e-bike, I can report that performance on electric alone is so lack-lustre that you'd only use it if you had to. I've done a mile or so on the motor a couple of times due to failures in the pedal drive train and it's very slow. Not quite bad enough that it's better to get off and push, but nearly.