Reckless e-bike riders 'dangerous' for cyclists

Cyclists say recklessly ridden and illegally souped up e-bikes have become a danger to them on the capital's bike lanes and roads.

Morwenna Hughes was riding on a conventional bicycle on a busy, two-way cycle lane in Hammersmith when an e-bike rider cut her up and knocked her off in a hit and run.

Her face was smashed and she may not regain full mobility in her left arm after it was shattered in the crash.

Hughes is calling for registration for e-bikes, a re-evaluation of two-way bike lanes and says pay per minute rentals also encourage reckless behaviour such as jumping red lights.

The collision happened along King Street's two-way cycle lane on 16 June.

Hughes said the incident happened so fast that she was not sure what kind of e-bike she was hit by.

"When I got to A&E, they tried to realign my arm and couldn't," she said.

"And then when I went back a couple of days later, they told me that I'd shattered the bone and I would need to have plate and six screws in my arm. So I had the operation.

"Obviously the scar's still there and I'm hoping that will that will fade over time. I've been told it's probably four months of physio, and I probably won't get the full recovery for up to a year, but they're saying that it may be that I only get 70% of my movement back."

Hughes has been a cyclist in London for 25 years but collision has shaken her confidence to the point where she is unsure if she will cycle again.

"I'm a huge fan of cycling and I'm an advocate for getting people on bikes.

"But this has really shaken my confidence both as a cyclist but also as a pedestrian. And just being even a pedestrian in busy areas where there's e-bikes around, I feel very anxious."

She added: "Up until maybe a year ago, cars always felt like the biggest danger to me. But I think in the last year, I definitely feel that recklessly driven e-bikes are a far bigger danger to cyclists.

"And it feels like it is just increasing. So I do feel like it has got progressively worse over the last few months to the point now where in some parts of my commute, I feel like you're almost outnumbered by e-bikes."

E-bikes are getting more and more popular in the capital. They are convenient, easy to use and have zero emissions.

But injuries to both pedestrians and the riders have been a concern. E-bikes are available to hire via operators such as Lime, Forest and Voi or are available to buy privately.

Hospitals have reported an increase in injuries to both riders and pedestrians.

Legal e-bikes can only go 15.5mph but many are illegally tampered with or "chipped" to go much faster and should technically be classed as motorbikes.

As first reported on BBC London, Jane Ouartsi was hit by a minor riding a Lime bike.

The impact was very serious and long lasting. She suffered a broken femur, a fractured collar bone and two spinal fractures requiring three operations.

She had to spend 36 days in hospital.

The police did not take action against the boy and there has been no compensation from Lime.

Since BBC London reported the incident, Lime has still not been in contact with Jane or her family.

Hughes also believes the model for hire bikes needs to be changed.

"If people are renting Lime bikes or Forest bikes, they're paying by the minute," she said.

"I understand they might want to get to their destination as quickly as possible but there are so many people cycling recklessly and because they are unaccountable for their reckless cycling."

Tom Fyans is from the London Cycling Campaign.

He says street illegal "fake" e-bikes that retain power over 15.5mph and do not need pedalling have no place on London's streets.

"Legal ebikes help get loads more people cycle who never would have otherwise - with all the benefits to health, climate, pollution and yes reducing road danger these bring.

"But we need to tackle the illegal bikes and ensure every road user, cyclist or not, obeys the Highway Code, to keep us all safe."

Hughes also believes more action should be taken to regulate e-bike use and where they can be used.

"Registration is key. I know it would be really difficult to implement it, but I think that this has to be done.

"We should also look at the safety of two-way bike lanes... they're fundamentally flawed once you've got e-bikes in the mix. I think that it means that normal road bikes are far more vulnerable."

She said she also wanted to see "more resources within the police for stopping people who are driving recklessly and especially people who are driving private e-bikes over the speed limit".

City Hall and the government have no plans to introduce registration for e-bikes but the dockless e-bike operator Forest has introduced plates on 500 of its bikes in Richmond to try and stop reckless riding.

The Metropolitan Police has been carrying out operations to crack down on illegally souped up e-bikes.

Hammersmith and Fulham council which owns the bike lane has been approached for comment.

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