{"id":411146,"date":"2026-01-15T15:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/411146\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:08:10","slug":"youre-far-more-likely-to-see-a-car-and-predict-how-they-move-one-in-12-cyclists-fear-illegal-e-bikes-more-than-motorists-new-survey-claims-as-just-18-say-they-fe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/411146\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou\u2019re far more likely to see a car and predict how they move\u201d: One in 12 cyclists fear illegal e-bikes more than motorists, new survey claims \u2013 as just 18% say they feel safe on UK roads"},"content":{"rendered":"

One in 12 cyclists who took part in a cycling insurance company\u2019s recent road safety survey claimed that they now believe illegal e-motorbike riders pose a greater threat to them than motorists in the UK.<\/p>\n

The poll, commissioned by bike insurance specialist Cycleplan, surveyed 500 \u2018regular\u2019 cyclists among its policy holders, and found that eight per cent of respondents \u201cfear\u201d illegal e-motorbikes \u2013 often erroneously branded as e-bikes by the public and press \u2013 more than any other vehicle on the roads.<\/p>\n

Under UK law, it is legal to ride electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs)<\/a>, which are restricted to a maximum continuous rated power output of 250 watts and a cut-off assist speed of 15.5mph, on the roads. Riders of these compliant e-bikes do not need to register or insure their bicycle, which must also have pedals to propel it.<\/p>\n

\"RaynersRayners Lane e-bike fire (credit: Twitter video (Andy Calvert))<\/p>\n

However, the increasing use of illegally modified high-powered bikes, which can easily exceed the 15.5mph legal limit \u2013 and therefore are legally classified as electric motorcycles \u2013 and cheap conversion kits have led to growing concerns about dangerous riding and the sharp rise in fires caused by cheaply made, poor-quality batteries which fail to comply with UK fire safety standards.<\/p>\n

These electric motorbikes require a licence, registration, Vehicle Excise Duty, and the rider to wear an approved motorcycle helmet.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0\u201cE-bikes aren\u2019t a problem when 99.5% of road deaths involve cars\u201d: Chris Boardman calls for \u201canger to be pointed in right direction\u201d amid Reform\u2019s anti-cycling rhetoric and \u201cembarrassing\u201d BBC Panorama e-bike episode<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Cycleplan, a number of their respondents highlighted what they regarded as the erratic riding of these illegal e-motorbike riders \u2013 which they believe is harming the reputation of legal e-bikes and their owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest problem is dark dressed, no lights, electric bikes doing very high speeds at junctions,\u201d one of the cyclists surveyed said. \u201cYou\u2019re far more likely to see a car and can predict how they move.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, another wrote: \u201cThe amount for times I\u2019ve seen modified e-bike users almost hit something in the last year is very unhelpful for all cyclists who use an electric bicycle properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IllegalIllegal e-motorbikes seized by Merseyside Police (credit: Merseyside Police)<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in Cycleplan\u2019s survey, just 18 per cent of respondents said they feel safe cycling on UK roads in 2026, a sharp drop from the 27 per cent who reported that they felt safe as part of the company\u2019s most recent poll, in 2023. One respondent highlighted by the insurer claimed that they are \u201cliterally too scared to cycle now\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of those surveyed reported that they had been involved in a crash or collision, or a near miss, in 2025, once again up on the 33 per cent who said the same three years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drop in how safe cyclists feel on the road is both striking and concerning,\u201d Cycleplan\u2019s CEO Alan Thomas said in a statement following the survey\u2019s publication.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, perhaps most notable is that some riders now see other cyclists, or at least illegally modified e-bikes, as part of the problem. That suggests enforcement around e-bike speed limits hasn\u2019t kept pace with adoption.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften, the issue isn\u2019t just speed, but how unpredictable modified e-bikes can feel \u2013 particularly on cycle lanes and pavements designed for slower road users. Our research suggests the traditional cars-versus-cyclists narrative may no longer tell the full story of where riders feel most at risk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

>\u00a0Dangerous \u201cfake\u201d e-bikes undermining UK\u2019s cycling efforts and putting industry at risk, say MPs calling for clampdown<\/a><\/p>\n

Last year, we reported that the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) warned that the government\u2019s failure<\/a> to tackle the unsafe and illegal use of e-motorbikes threatens to irrevocably damage the reputation of the UK\u2019s legal e-bike industry, as well as undermine its efforts to promote cycling and active travel as a whole.<\/p>\n

A report published by the cross-party group of MPs and peers also called for stricter laws to prevent online retailers from selling potentially dangerous electric bikes and conversion kits, including closing a loophole which enables sellers to list illegal e-motorbikes under the pretence that they should only be used off-road.<\/p>\n

The group has urged the government to give the police new powers to seize unsafe \u201cfake\u201d e-bikes and introduce a scrappage scheme, to be funded by food delivery companies, for dangerous bikes used by their couriers.<\/p>\n

\"DeliverooDeliveroo rider\u2019s illegally modified e-bike (credit: All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking)<\/p>\n

Focusing on the gig economy, and its widespread use of high-powered, illegal e-motorbikes, the APPGCW said couriers should be given wider guaranteed rights and protections, while their employers should be required to carry out safety and compliance checks on their bikes.<\/p>\n

During the APPGCW\u2019s inquiry, the group was able to \u201ceasily\u201d find e-bikes capable of 40mph speeds being sold by major online retailers and marketed \u201cfor city commutes\u201d, as well as a 2,000-watt bike with a throttle pictured being used on city streets \u2013 both of which are illegal.<\/p>\n

Another search on Amazon found an unsafe charger with an unfused clover leaf plug and multiple charging cables supplied, both of which are considered a fire risk by experts, the group said.<\/p>\n

Shortly before the APPGCW published its report last summer, Labour MP Tom Hayes also called on the government to introduce stricter e-bike and e-scooter laws<\/a>, arguing that the current \u201csituation is unsafe\u201d and that \u201cbattery safety, speeding, and enforcement\u201d needs to be addressed \u201cbefore more people are hurt\u201d.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the CEO of folding bike manufacturer Brompton called for a crackdown on \u201cpoor quality\u201d e-bike batteries<\/a> before public perception \u201csnowballs into a world of fear\u201d around e-bikes in general.<\/p>\n

As part of their 2025 report, the APPGCW noted that stories about illegal e-bikes \u2013 including last year\u2019s BBC Panorama special, which was widely criticised for its failure to properly distinguish between legitimate electric bikes and their illegal counterparts<\/a> \u2013 have led to confusion for the public, as well as landlords, insurers, and transport operators.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0\u201cE-bikes are not illegal\u201d: BBC hit with more complaints about \u201cmisleading and damaging\u201d Panorama e-bike episode, as cycle shop owner says: \u201cFinding a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing should not be a reason to attack sheep\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

A study by the Electric Bike Alliance found that only 63 per cent of people aged 25 to 34 \u2013 the demographic mostly likely to purchase an e-bike<\/a> \u2013 indicated they would be able to determine if an e-bike was road-legal, and nearly one in four current e-bike owners felt unable to distinguish between road-legal e-bike products and non-legal, potentially hazardous aftermarket alternatives.<\/p>\n

This confusion has therefore helped instigate a rise in blanket bans on e-bikes in some workplaces and travel networks, while cyclists with legal e-bikes have been refused insurance, affecting legitimate users as well as disabled people who rely on electric bikes to get around.<\/p>\n

\"DeliverooDeliveroo riders\u2019 illegally modified e-bikes (credit: All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking)<\/p>\n

Cycling campaigners have long pointed out the danger in incorrectly calling these electric motorbikes \u2018e-bikes\u2019, with incidents involving high-power vehicles often wrongly attributed to legal EAPCs by the public and press.<\/p>\n

In September, for example, the BBC was forced to amend its coverage of a collision in Scotland which it claimed involved the rider of an e-bike<\/a>, a vehicle that was in fact an electric motorbike, following complaints from readers.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0“Stop calling them e-bikes”: BBC corrects inaccurate coverage claiming powerful electric motorbike was an e-bike<\/a><\/p>\n

And last year, in an interview with road.cc, Active Travel England commissioner Chris Boardman joined the chorus calling for government action to crack down on the sale of illegal e-motorbikes and dangerous batteries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a sense these are all great problems to have,\u201d Boardman said. \u201cBecause suddenly you\u2019re swamped in them because of popularity. So, I\u2019d much rather be coming in that direction. But because it\u2019s happened really quickly, we haven’t kept up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of it is a trading standards problem, that we have got illegal and non-certified products coming into our market and people have said that they will buy batteries, chargers, bikes online if it\u2019s cheaper, and they don\u2019t mind if it\u2019s non-brand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of risks associated with that, so I think there\u2019s a government aspect to this, to legislate and properly police trading standards, so those products that are illegal don\u2019t reach our market.<\/p>\n

\"ChrisChris Boardman (credit: Active Travel England)<\/p>\n

\u201cLithium battery fires are horrendous, and they make headlines \u2013 but there are 50,000 fires that the fire brigade attend each year at the moment, and lithium batteries of e-bikes are responsible for 0.07 per cent, so it’s a tiny fraction, but it will grow with popularity,\u201d Boardman notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you\u2019ve ever seen a lithium fire, it is pretty horrific. You cannot put them out, you just have to wait until it\u2019s spent. So, we need education around that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe simplest way around it is to go to a reputable bike shop and you buy a brand that you recognise. But when it comes to the difference between an e-bike and an e-motorbike, over half of people are saying \u2018I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about\u2019. In its simplest terms, any bike which has an engine that cuts out at 15 miles an hour and you have to pedal is a pedal-assisted bike.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see somebody who\u2019s not pedalling and they\u2019re going over 15 miles an hour, that\u2019s an e-motorbike and if it hasn’t got a registration on it and the driver hasn\u2019t got a licence, then it\u2019s illegal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019re seeing a lot of that in delivery riders, the gig economy, and they just want the cheapest thing they can get, or they gaffer tape extra batteries to the bike. They just need to work and that\u2019s the problem. I think that they need to address it.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Boardman also warned against diverting too much attention to e-bikes \u2013 like in Cycleplan\u2019s survey \u2013 when, statistically, other road safety issues are much more pressing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t lose sight of the fact that 99.5 per cent of the deaths and serious injuries on our roads are caused by people in motor vehicles, so it is not a massive problem and that context is really important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One in 12 cyclists who took part in a cycling insurance company\u2019s recent road safety survey claimed that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":411147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-411146","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/411147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}