Sheffield cycling: Call for crackdown on 'silent, fast' e-bikes 'before someone is killed'

Esther Carr of Hillsborough said she is narrowly missed by an electric bike or scooter speeding at up to 30mph on the pavement several times a week.

She said it is a problem in Southey and Hillsborough, where she lives and works, and the city centre is “full of these dangerous fast bikes which are essentially very quiet motorbikes but are driven on our paths rather than roads.”

Ms Carr said she had sent emails to local MP Gill Furniss after raising the issue two years ago.

She wrote: “E-bikes and e-scooters remain a big problem – several times this week I have narrowly missed being hit by a bike, just on the 10-minute walk between my house and Morrisons.

“It’s similar on most of the streets but it is quite frightening at times. I fear that someone will be killed by a bike, often going at high speeds on the pavement, after dark is especially bad, before anyone will agree to do something about this.”

She added: “I know the police did confiscate some escooters and e-bikes recently but it must have been the tip of the iceberg, because they are everywhere.

“It doesn’t help that we have cycle routes actually painted on our pavements, even though it doesn’t seem to matter to the fools who are going 30 miles-an-hour on the pavement.”

The law states that if an electric bike can go more than 15.5mph then it is a motorbike and must be registered, insured, taxed, and the rider must have a driving licence and appropriate helmet.

Electric scooters cannot be ridden on the pavement or a road. They can only be legally ridden on private land with the landowner's permission.

In December, city centre police said they had seized at least 50 e-bikes and five illegal scooters in a crackdown on the ‘potentially dangerous machines’.

Gill Furniss, MP, for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, said: “I have been in contact with the police and council to raise these matters. I will continue to liaise with these agencies to press for safety for pedestrians on our pavements.”

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said they were aware of residents' concerns about electric or e-bikes.

They added: “Electric bikes being ridden illegally or dangerously can cause serious injury to both the rider and pedestrians. If you are stopped on what we believe to be an illegal e-bike, we will explain and encourage you to follow the law.

“As well as seizing them, the rider, or parents of riders if they are under the age of 16, could be prosecuted and subjected to a fine.

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“If you see an electric bike being ridden illegally or dangerously, please report it to us with as much information as possible so we can take action.

“This includes times, locations, descriptions of the bike and the rider as well as details of any clothing or helmet the rider is wearing.

Call 101 or go to: https://www.southyorkshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/