I wonder how many cyclists have been prosecuted for not having a bell, or motorists who don't have the manufacturer of their number plate stamped on it, other ...

 

Regarding the bell:

 

Bikes have to be fitted with bells while in the bike shop, but there is no legal requirement to fit or use them once on the road. The Highway Code merely suggests that cyclists ‘should be considerate of other road users, particularly blind and partially sighted pedestrians. Let them know you are there when necessary, for example by ringing your bell.’ Any other ‘audible warning’ – horn, rattle, duck call or the human voice – would do.

 

Source: https://www.eta.co.uk/cycling-and-the-law/

Nearly all lights fitted to bikes are illegal, but does anybody care?

 

The CTC do and have published this:

 

http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations

I wonder how many cyclists have been prosecuted for not having a bell, ...

 

The bells law is a mess so it's little wonder there are no prosecutions.

 

In 1983 the government of the day removed the requirement to have bells fitted. Then in 1999 the measure was due to be introduced while being strongly opposed by most manufacturers, dealers and cycling organisations. They have never conformed and most bikes are not fitted with bells.

 

Bikes on display do not have to fitted with bells but must by law be sold with them. However the dealer does not have to fit them, simply because it is entirely legal for a bike to be sold unassembled to any degree, the dealer merely has to offer the bell with a bike to comply with the law, though few even bother to do that. Also the law does not require bikes sold online or through mail order to be supplied with bells.

 

Add the fact that a bike does not have to have a bell when ridden and one can see that any successful prosecution is very unlikely.

 

In the newest twist in 2011, one of the proposals to remove red tape by the current government was the cancellation of the compulsory bell supply law. The DfT was tasked to investigate that and that may still be on the agenda.

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The CTC do and have published this:

 

http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations

I read that, but I don't see anywhere where it says they care. It's merely a statement of the present situation, and they even say that you're unlikelyto be prosecuted for non-compliant lights. If they really cared, they'd be campaigning for change.

Change what?

"Is a bell really neccesary on a bicycle"... Sorry couldn't resist. I have seen French policemen writing a ticket for a missing bell... OK the person had been pulled over for another reason but got stung for that. Front and rear reflectors. Orange side reflectors in the wheels (so white tyre reflectors are not enough alone) and pedals . Lights (no legal reference on thier power) and... brakes front and rear! What a good idea!!!

First time poster here.

 

My family and I have an opportunity to move to Oxford for a couple of years and are looking a bring our cargo bike with us. I was looking for advice on how to ride it legally in the UK.

 

I have a Surly Big Dummy with a eZee conversion kit, Cycle Analyst V3 and a 36V 16.5Ah frame battery pack

 

Based on the following link:

 

https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

 

Would limiting the motor based on maximum speed and output using the Cycle Analyst be sufficient to make this legal to ride?

Would making my own plate showing the manufacturer, the nominal voltage of the battery, and the motor’s power output meet the requirement in the link?

Any idea whether it might qualify under the tandem/tricycle definition? I ask because I'm guessing the weight is around the maximum with the kids seats etc on it.

Any cargo bikers in Oxford and experience with a bakfiets / bullitt style bike there? We'll probably go car free so were thinking of a boxbike to supplement the big dummy? Not sure how a larger bike might fit in with narrower roads etc

 

Thanks in advance!

with respect to everyone involved in this debate, i find the direction threads go in sometimes flummoxing, bit like discovering a parralel world really. truly, i didnt see one about the legality of bells coming.

as someonewho rattles around on a derestricted pedelec id find it astonishing if you have any problems with plod or anything else if you stick to around 20 mph and do do anything visibly illegal (like towing a caravan)

Just make sure you have your duck call with you. Or better still your rattle to spin around furiously as you close up on pedestrians. Not sure which hand you’d use though....

do anything visibly illegal (like towing a caravan)

 

Actually bike caravans are entirely legal in many countries including the UK, a dozen shown on the link below and many more online. At one time Wisper e-bikes considered adding a bicycle caravan to their e-bike range.

 

Bicycle caravans

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Edited April 20, 201511 yr by flecc

"Is a bell really neccesary on a bicycle"... Sorry couldn't resist. I have seen French policemen writing a ticket for a missing bell... OK the person had been pulled over for another reason but got stung for that. Front and rear reflectors. Orange side reflectors in the wheels (so white tyre reflectors are not enough alone) and pedals . Lights (no legal reference on thier power) and... brakes front and rear! What a good idea!!!

 

The 1968 Vienna Convention rules on road traffic include a specific mention that bicycle bells must be fitted in accordance with each visited countries ruling. So being without here is ok, but cross the channel with a bike and one can be in trouble.

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Actually bike caravans are entirely legal, a dozen shown on the link below and many more online. At one time Wisper e-bikes considered adding a bicycle caravan to their e-bike range.

 

Bicycle caravans

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too true, my apologies, in the spirit of this thread i feel i should make a correction: dont do anything visibly illegal such as towing a two tonne caravan faster than 45 mph against a 45% gradient.

I guessed you meant a large caravan but thought my observation worthwhile for those who might not know whether a bike could tow a small one.

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Edited April 20, 201511 yr by flecc

I guessed you meant a large caravan but thought my obsevation worthwhile for those who might not know whether a bike could tow a small one.

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yes i took it as that, and its an entirely valid point. In fact it made me wonder whether there are legal limits to what a bike is allowed to tow (for a moment i considered inflaming a whole new debate by asking whether a 250kw pedelelc rertricted to 17.8 mph towing an airstream woudl be legal in Oxford..)

Actually bike caravans are entirely legal in many countries including the UK, a dozen shown on the link below and many more online. At one time Wisper e-bikes considered adding a bicycle caravan to their e-bike range.

 

Bicycle caravans

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Shameless plug: http://www.amateurboatbuilding.com/articles/news/woodenwidget/foldavan/index.html

The 1968 Vienna Convention rules on road traffic include a specific mention that bicycle bells must be fitted in accordance with each visited countries ruling. So being without here is ok, but cross the channel with a bike and one can be in trouble.

.

 

And the law says "must be audible at 50 metres". I doubt that is possible in rush hour Paris traffic though...

I guessed you meant a large caravan but thought my observation worthwhile for those who might not know whether a bike could tow a small one.

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Another Sheldon Cooper moment flecc?

Actually bike caravans are entirely legal in many countries including the UK, a dozen shown on the link below and many more online. At one time Wisper e-bikes considered adding a bicycle caravan to their e-bike range.

 

Bicycle caravans

.

 

My B&B bike tour plans this year may now have completely changed

No, from what I understand from Flecc's post is that he has implied that no dealer is applying the letter of the law therefore I can only assume that all that do not are selling illegal bikes unless they state otherwise.

 

Hi Shemozzle

 

I'd be interested to know your stance on eBikes where you can adjust the top speed using the display. Are they illegal because technically you could be riding with assistance above 15mph (an no one could prove otherwise because you can always change the settings before you get pulled over)? Or is it OK as long as you are limiting it to 15mph when you are on the road.

 

If you had one of these on a 1000W kit, presumably you'd want to see a feature where the controller also limits the output current (and thus power) and can limit to 250W when selected? Are there any kits/controllers that can do this? (i.e. limit the actual power as well as the top speed).

 

In a similar vein to the discussion around bells being technically legally required, but not mandatory for sellers to fit one at the point of sale, I would say that it isn't irresponsible for a dealer to sell a kit that can be configured for road legality by the user, but has the option of being de-restricted if they choose.

My stance has been a simple one, I just want consumers to be able to purchase an electric bicycle and be free to use it on the road legally.

 

#FitaLabel

 

If you want to push the boundaries as a dealer by all means do so but don't place an item in the market for the customer to bear the responsibility to test the law, you should do that yourself first.

Edited April 22, 201511 yr by shemozzle999

In a similar vein to the discussion around bells being technically legally required, but not mandatory for sellers to fit one at the point of sale, I would say that it isn't irresponsible for a dealer to sell a kit that can be configured for road legality by the user, but has the option of being de-restricted if they choose.

 

Not the same thing at all though. Bells are not required to be fitted, technically or otherwise, a dealer merely has to offer one to someone purchasing a bike face to face, but not to online or mail order customers.

 

The assist speed limit law is mandatory, a pedelec while on the road must only be capable of motor assistance to 15.6 mph under the rider's control.

 

The provision of a rider adjustment to software via display buttons which is capable of increasing that speed is illegal. The bike does not conform to the construction aspect of the law even when not derestricted.

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"Tamper proof by end user" or words to that effect are used in the law. There are very few kits even the 250W ones which are EN 15194 compatible, Bionix springs to mind as one. Even factory made legal bikes can be tampered with to make them go faster.

 

In France that puts you in the same ball park as any kid with a derestricted moped: 135€ fine on the spot and possible confiscation of the bike. And if you are in an accident the insurance companies involved will not want to know you if it is proved that your bike was set for over 25 kph. The wattage is a different kettle of fish because even the law makers are not stupid enough to not know that spot on 250W is impossible to obtain, fluctuating with the charge of the battery etc. The kit I am about to buy has "Road Legal" marked on the description. Notice those quotation marks - 250W nominative, 340W constant and 560W peak with a 15 amp controller and 36V battery. In the same breath they offer an optional 17 amp controller which puts the kit far on the wrong side of road legal if my school certificate physics don't fail me...

 

If you use it in a responsible way you have little risk of being pulled over. Famous case in France: a guy went to court for speeding in a velomobile. He thought that he would get away with it because he had no number plate. Silly man kept going through the same speed camera so one day the police were waiting for him and there he was, on the 8 o'clock national news! If you go over 50 kph in town on a bicycle you are breaking the law. He was doing 65-70 kph and he had racked up a dozen or so tickets, very expensive day in court!

Not the same thing at all though. Bells are not required to be fitted, technically or otherwise, a dealer merely has to offer one to someone purchasing a bike face to face, but not to online or mail order customers.

 

The assist speed limit law is mandatory, a pedelec while on the road must only be capable of motor assistance to 15.6 mph under the rider's control.

 

The provision of a rider adjustment to software via display buttons which is capable of increasing that speed is illegal. The bike does not conform to the construction aspect of the law even when not derestricted.

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So all the bikes sold by reputable sellers like Kudos and Woosh with the King Meter display are selling illegal bikes even when factory set to 25 kph?

 

In practice I very much doubt that Officer Dibble would have much of a clue about getting into the settings. Although he might be riding an e bike himself of course, and it might even have a King Meter.

So all the bikes sold by reputable sellers like Kudos and Woosh with the King Meter display are selling illegal bikes even when factory set to 25 kph?

 

I believe so since the King Meter controls are rider ones, at all times under the rider's control. Suppliers sometimes attempt to indemnify themselves against any possible third party insurance implications by refusing to tell customers how to alter the control settings. But that doesn't alter the possible illegal construction aspect

 

In practice I very much doubt that Officer Dibble would have much of a clue about getting into the settings. Although he might be riding an e bike himself of course, and it might even have a King Meter.

 

Of course the police themselves in a number of forces were using illegal 250 watt e-bikes for years before the DfT issued a waiver to allow their use pending a change in the law. Ironically the waiver was effectively an instruction to the police not to prosecute on the 250 watt issue.

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Of course the police themselves in a number of forces were using illegal 250 watt e-bikes for years before the DfT issued a waiver to allow their use pending a change in the law. Ironically the waiver was effectively an instruction to the police not to prosecute on the 250 watt issue.

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I think they have been loosely exempt under Article 1 2002/24EC

 

This Directive does not apply to the following vehicles:

 

(b) vehicles intended for pedestrian control;

 

but now are specifically mentioned in Article 2 2013/168EC;

 

2. This Regulation does not apply to the following vehicles:

 

(e) vehicles designed and constructed for use by the armed services, civil defence, fire services, forces responsible for maintaining public order and emergency medical services;

Being pedantic one could point out it says constructed for use by rather than constructed and used by.

 

So just buy a ex-police one