Calling all Australian MBers. This issue affects YOU
Here is an extract from correspondence with the RTA that I received on 7 May 2009.
The discussion paper on power assisted pedal cycles is currently within its very last approval stage before its release for public comments. It has been identified as a priority and we expect its release shortly, however it is outside my direct control therefore I cannot be more specific regarding the release time.
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Here's a report out of Sydney Morning Herald
RTA review to clarify controls on pedal-assisted bikes
Brian Robins
May 5, 2009 - 12:00AM
THE popularity of pedal-assisted bikes is likely to surge if a Roads and Traffic Authority proposal to ease controls on the vehicles is adopted.
In Europe the new generation of pedal-assisted bikes has a
battery-powered motor to ease the strain of going up hills. They are quiet to operate and low-cost to run, thanks to their rechargeable batteries.
To end confusion over whether they needed to be registered and the rider licensed, the State Government wants to bring controls into line with those in Europe and Japan, while imposing an
upper speed limit of 25 kmh.
In the past few years riders of some of these bikes, which appeared to comply with RTA requirements, were later subject to successful legal action by police, who claimed the bikes had to be licensed. This brought sales to a skidding halt.
The RTA is now finalising a discussion paper outlining the proposed changes to clarify what type of bicycle needs to be registered.
"We would welcome any changes, given their rising popularity," Alex Unwin, the chief executive of Bicycle NSW, said.
Under the proposals, pedal-assisted bikes will have an upper speed limit of 25 kmh - there is no limit now -
with up to 250 watts of output, up from 200 watts. This will bring NSW into line with European and Japanese rules.
A core requirement will be that the
bike cannot be a motorised bike with pedals.
The motor will operate only when the vehicle is being pedalled. Some of the legal problems riders faced were that the pedals on many of these bikes were secondary to the motor as the primary source of power, triggering requirements for registration and licensing.
Bicycle sellers said the idea of pedal-assisted bikes was attractive but the
battery was still too heavy to take them seriously.
"The weight is still too much. The idea is to get the weight as light as possible," an employee at one city bike shop said.
"But I don't disagree that more people will be interested in them."
