The Chinese are the biggest bike users in the world. Production of electric bikes has soared in China and even those who can afford cars opt for bikes to avoid traffic jams & expensive petrol.

 

Production of electric bicycles in China has soared from less than 200,000 eight years ago to 22 million last year, mostly for the domestic market. The industry estimates about 65 million are on Chinese roads.

 

Chinese cities still have plenty of bicycle lanes, even if some have made way for cars and buses. E-riders are out and about in all weathers there. In wet weather in their colourful rain capes they look like a rainbow army on the move.

 

Chinese Embracing Electric Bicycles | Electric Bikes – Electric Bike News Reviews Trends Technology Information

Many of these we'd scarcely recognise as bikes though. A high proportion are very much mopeds with heavy lead acid batteries, very low geared with part time pedals only used at starting off speeds and even then only rarely. Power ratings are high and motor gearings low so with around 700 watt ratings or more they climb anything without pedalling but only run to 12/13 mph and are often seen at even lower speeds. It's certainly not cycling as we understand it, though it's still good to see so much electric personal transport.

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also the Chinese authorities for all their many flaws elsewhere in the political arena appear to be pragmatic when it comes to enforcing traffic laws... another poster mentioned some of the newer Chinese e-mopeds will easily do 20+mph but the cops turn a blind eye to what would be classed as a traffic law violation in many EU nations...

 

I've seen elsewhere (sadly I can't find the link), a video one of the Chinese e-bike manufacturers explaining about how when they tried to ban e-bikes in one city on environmental (due to lead acid batteries) and health and safety grounds he went up before the Council and argued his case about how they created jobs and less pollution, and the Council backtracked on the ban!

There are still several Chinese cities where they are banned though, and many cities have some main routes they are banned from. It seems city authority attitudes vary considerably.

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There are still several Chinese cities where they are banned though, and many cities have some main routes they are banned from. It seems city authority attitudes vary considerably.

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yep, they are allowed to make their own traffic laws per city although one city sweetened the pill by building a big light railway system and allowing all the former cyclists free/subsidised travel...

 

still though it was brave of the Chinese factory owner to stand up to the might of the city like that, although to be fair some things have indeed changed a lot from two decades ago, especially when money and business is involved...