The Failed " MoPed " Era !

Just after the end of the second world war what became known as the "MoPed " burst onto the scene in America.  It was an ordinary bicycle with a small, built in petrol engine that could help propel it up a hill and take the hard work out of a lengthy ride to the shops.  This engine was so small that the rider needed to pedal to assist on even moderate grades and it was totally incapable of any sort of high speed.   In the United States, it's users required neither a license to ride nor any form of registration.

A few were imported here, but the Australian authorities took a very different view. All states insisted that a rider would need a full motorcycle license to use one, and it would need to be registered and display a license plate - and have adequate insurance cover.  That killed the MoPed stone dead in this country.

Sixty-five years later the MoPed idea was resurrected when small petrol motors reappeared on push bikes and this time the state authorities gave them a cautious approval, just so long as the propulsion remained limited.   Electric bikes joined the offerings and motorised bicycles became a common sight on Australian roads - until the petrol engined types were again banned in New South Wales from last October.

The problem was the appearance of conversion kits that increased the power ratio to the point that the difference between a motorised push bike and a legal motorcycle became impossible to determine, and the usual misuse brought them to the notice of the police.

Typical was an incident in October 2013 when police noticed a rider of a motorised bike without a safety helmet weaving through night traffic at high speeds and without lights.  This rider refused orders to stop and tried to escape by riding through heavy traffic against the traffic flow, and collided with a vehicle, resulting in his death.   The coroner is recommending that the sale of enhanced engine kits for bicycle conversion be banned to choke off such illegal high speed uses.

MoPeds became almost a fad in the United States just after the war because this was just before the era of the second car family.  In particular, women found them a healthy and enjoyable way of getting to the shops.  What we need to ensure is that the power of electric bikes is not increased to the point where they become a hazard - and also face a ban.

It is unlikely that the government will succeed in eliminating petrol engines that can be converted to powering bikes.  Such engines have other legitimate uses and the resourceful always find ways to circumvent the law.  Mini motorbikes are still openly sold, despite their use on any public road being illegal - but they are permissible on private property.  That option is also available to those with illegal petrol powered bicycles.

A lot of public money has been spent trying to encourage bike use and we have installed bike paths in most cities.   Those promoting cycling as a health initiative will be appalled at the exercise benefits being reduced by powered bikes, but cycling from home to work often involves great distances which puts questions on human endurance.  The true "MoPed " option has a lot to recommend it.

The way to regulate this growing form of transport is to totally ban any sort of conversion and only allow a manufacturers product to be legally used on public roads.   All manufacturers would need to have their product approved and display a certification that the propulsion - either petrol or electric - met the standard required by the state government in  regard to it's speed capability.

If the regulators are seeking to remove over powered bicycles from moving at excessive speed on our streets, that would seem a logical way to achieve their objective !