Police in Sydney, Australia

[will_start]

hey johnboy,

Welcome, i read about an ebike scenario, in Nyngan,
was yours that case ?

How much did the case cost you ?

tell us more details, please.

I won't give my opinion for the law (kids watching).
They have an intro policy here, so you're advised to post to the intro.

 

[fredie]

whats this about the incident at nyngin

 

[iron_monkey]

According to Zbox the output of the 48cc is 1200W and the 66cc at 1700W
So yes, maybe a grey area. So please all you aussie's ride responsibly and lets not make ourselves an issue.

Me and others have seen idiots riding literally on the car lanes in busy major roads. If more idiots continue like this it will be an issue fast.

 

[kjparker]

Me and others have seen idiots riding literally on the car lanes in busy major roads. If more idiots continue like this it will be an issue fast.

As a cylist, you are entitled to use the road. So long as you remain in the left lane, there is nothing wrong with it.

We cant always stick to the quiet back roads, or bike lanes, some of us actually ride ourbikes to work, where there is no alternative at times to the types of roads you describe. If there is no bike lane, I'm going to take a car lane. This is the safest thing for me. It forces the cars to overtake you properly, rather than trying to squeeze past you.

Of the commute I do every day on the bike, approximately 1.5km of about 4 -5 km is on a busy major road. There is no alternative for me. So long as your not riding lie an idiot, going too fast, wearing your helmet, then there is no problem. I have ridden past several police with the engine running, and they didnt even look twice a me on those roads. Obey the road rules, and you in most cases will be fine.

I have even stopped next to a police car at the lights, they looked me and the bike up and down, nodded, then drove off when the lights changed. This was on the "busy Major Road" that according to you I am an idiot for being on.

My point is, ride safely, wear the gear you should be wearing, dont act like a tool on the road, obey the road rules, ie stop signs, traffic lights etc, or go faster than you should, and there wont be a problem.

 

[fredie]

if the cops consider the motor too be the primary drive of the bike . you will get tickets or charges .big trouble if you have a suspended licence . even jail

 

[kjparker]

with a HT for example though, it's pretty easy to demonstrate you cant even start without pedaling!

It all comes back to riding sensibly! If your doing 60km/h on the bike then it becomes pretty obvious that it's not pedal assistance, it is the primary drive. If your doing 25km/h its much less obvious, and less likely they will even look at you in the first place.

It comes down to not drawing undue attention. As I said earlier, ride sensibly, you generally wont have a problem.

 

[iron_monkey]

As a cylist, you are entitled to use the road. So long as you remain in the left lane, there is nothing wrong with it.....

Do you not understand that these kits are officially illegal for use on public roads and we are only relying on the discretion of the police? We are hardly "cyclists" when we are using a combustion engine that is multiple times the 200w limit.

Of course the police right now dont see it as an issue but it wouldn't be long before lots of people like you start riding these things on busy 60-70km/hr major roads which means higher public scrutiny as well as annoying car drivers. The obvious consequence is there will be a major media and RTA driven crackdown.

Sticking to quiet roads/parks/designated cycleways means less public exposure and at least minimise the issue. Or at least busy roads that have dense slow traffic so we arent the object of attention.

You do have a choice, and that is to use a pushbike or buy an electric kit (even above the 200W limit as nobody will know).

edit: Im also sure the person at nyngan who as using the electric e-bike was riding sensibly (she has to as the motor is a measly 200W) when she was dinged by the police. The cause of her misfortune is that the e-bike was a cop magnet as it resembled a normal scooter without a rear plate (even if their initial suspicions were wrong the cops got her on a legal technicality that the e-bike was not able to pedal powered). It all comes down to public visibility and whether the contraption is a police enforcement issue. If more people start using HTs on major public roads it will soon become one.

 

[kjparker]

Do you not understand that these kits are officially illegal for use on public roads and we are only relying on the discretion of the police? We are hardly "cyclists" when we are using a combustion engine that is multiple times the 200w limit.

Yes of course I do. However hiding your head in the sand isnt going to achieve anything. If they decide they are going to crack down, they are going to crack down. Wether I am riding (sensibly I might add) on a main road or not is going to have nothing to do with it.

The roads I am riding on, are dense traffic roads, quite busy, but a lot of cars. Common sense needs to prevail here. If the cars are doing 60km/h or more and there is only one lane, then sure, avoid this road, but if it is slower traffic, then why should I go out of my way to avoid it?

 

[iron_monkey]

Wether I am riding (sensibly I might add) on a main road or not is going to have nothing to do with it.

Maybe not you if you are indeed riding in slow peak hour traffic. I made that clear in my previous post.

The roads I am riding on, are dense traffic roads, quite busy, but a lot of cars. Common sense needs to prevail here. If the cars are doing 60km/h or more and there is only one lane, then sure, avoid this road, but if it is slower traffic, then why should I go out of my way to avoid it?

The people I seen were riding on the left lane of 6-4 lane(3-2 lanes each way) major roads that marked 60-70 km/h and cars going freely. Even if it is the left lane it is not acceptable; these kits are illegal and should not be ridden alongside fast public traffic. If the numbers who do this become significant these people will have alot to do with any subsequent crackdown.

 

[johnboy3344]

hey johnboy,

Welcome, i read about an ebike scenario, in Nyngan,
was yours that case ?

How much did the case cost you ?

tell us more details, please.

I won't give my opinion for the law (kids watching).
They have an intro policy here, so you're advised to post to the intro.

Hey Will_start.
no mine wasnt the case from Nyngen, that was a woman that had no idea & has stuffed it for everybody. thats was the case that i reffered to though. she appealled the guilty ruling and lost but the judge let her off the penalty. the reason she lost is that when asked what the peddles were for she said "i case the battery goes flat" what she should have said was that the peddles are required to move the bike and the engine assists.
i have read the whole ruling and unless somebody wants to got to the supreme court with a bucket of money> ebikes are now worthless!
as for my case i was charged for it prior to the ruling. the local courts will now be inforcing the ruling. lucky for me it cost me nothing cause i know how to research legislation & case law