Imposing e-bike insurance law would "criminalise millions of bicycle users"
Posted on in Cycles News
Under the newly proposed law riding an e-bike without third-party insurance would be illegal.
The European Union has proposed that electric bicycles of 25km/h - 250W, Segways and electric scooters should have third-party insurance in Europe to better protect victims of motor vehicle accidents and improve the rights of insurance policyholders.
Brian Hayes, who has served as an MEP for Ireland since 2014, branded the latest proposal "EU bureaucracy gone mad".
He said: "The commission is enforcing a disproportionate ECJ [European Court of Justice] ruling, the so-called Vnuk ruling, which states that all vehicles used on private property must have third-party insurance.
"This includes golf buggies on golf courses, it covers motorsport races and it covers farming vehicles.
"I, along with other MEPs and member states have been campaigning to ensure that this ECJ ruling is rectified in the Motor Insurance Directive but the commission has done the opposite and has actually reinforced the negative effects of this ruling."
The European Cyclists' Federation has claimed the EU is "trying to criminalise millions of current power-assisted bicycle users, almost all of whom have some kind of other insurance, and has effectively banned peddle use without insurance usually reserved for motor vehicles".
Mr Hayes added that the rise of electric bikes had been "a huge success story" and that the commission's proposal would "bring that story to an end".
He said: "More and more electric bikes are on our streets in Ireland and across the EU. They offer an environmentally friendly alternative to using a car and are increasingly used by people as a means of transport to work."