The Ministry of Transportation has come up with a series of rules for riding electric bicycles.
they include:
- from 14 years and up
- from 14-16 years, can only ride in bike lanes and not on sidewalks
- from 16 and up can ride in bike lanes and in the streets if there is no bike lane (not on the sidewalks)
- maximum speed is limited to 25kmph
- reflectors and headlights are required
- no using cellphones while riding
The real problem is enforcement - it seems the various relevant authorities don't know how to enforce the rules or who is meant to be responsible for this enforcement. the Ministry of Transportation is working on a plan to improve enforcement.
source: Calcalist
be safe. riding a bike [especially in the streets] can be dangerous, and must be done with caution and care. Riding an electric bike is even more dangerous, due to the speeds. I was backing out of a parking spot the other day, and checked all directions and saw the coast was clear. As I backed out, I caught, in the corner of my eye, some motion. I stopped and turned around and saw a teenager on an electric bike flying down the hill at high speed in the street, with no helmet, A moment later he passed right behind my car. Had I not noticed the movement in my peripheral vision and stopped, I would have smashed right into him (maybe he would have swerved or whatever to avoid me). True, that can, and does, happen with bikers, and even with pedestrians walking.. but with the speeds of these electric bikes, these situations can really be bang bang.
If they are regulating the driving of these, I wonder if they will next also take on the driving of "bubby carts", or golf carts.... they don't go very fast, but if they are being used to drive in the streets, perhaps they should be dealt with in a similar manner.
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