Police criticised for not getting tough on e-bikes sooner

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

North Wales Police has been criticised for not cracking down on the use of electric scooters and bikes sooner.

Speaking at the North Wales Police and Crime Panel meeting at Conwy Council’s Bodlondeb HQ this week, Cllr Chris Bithell welcomed the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s pledge to tackle the problem of e-bikes.

In the Police and Crime Plan 2025-28, Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “I will work with the UK and Welsh Government to introduce new legislation to protect our communities from ASB (anti-social behaviour) associated with e-bikes and e-scooters.”

Mr Dunbobbin made the pledge as part of several “priorities” to improve road safety.

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Off-road bikes

It follows North Wales Police’s “Operation Blue Takeoff” to tackle the illegal use of off-road bikes and to seize them if necessary.

According to the UK Government website, you can ride an electric bike if you’re 14 or over, as long as it meets certain requirements.

Whilst e-scooters are legal to own, they can only be used legally on private land with the landowner’s permission and not ridden in public places, including roads, pavements, parks, or cycle lanes.

Cllr Bithell, though, whilst welcoming the commissioner’s pledge, said police should have got tougher sooner rather than wait to “rein” the problem in.

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Disabled people

The Flintshire councillor claimed e-bikes are causing problems in Mold and feared for elderly and disabled people getting hit, which he said could have fatal consequences.

“In the town in which I live, Mold, we’ve got a busy market twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays,” he said.

“You’ve got lots of people mulling on the pavements around the stores and so on, and you’ve got people going through on electric scooters and bicycles, and it is really dangerous when people emerge from a shop doorway and suddenly somebody is whizzing past.

“They could very easily bump into them, and again if there’s an accident, they can be charged.

“But again because there is no insurance, they don’t have to have any insurance, and there is no insurance available for these types of vehicles, the scooters particularly.

“Then, of course, the injured person can’t claim, and again that action has been taken after the event.”

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Dire consequences

He added: “Really, I’m interested – most people will be interested – in nipping it in the bud before it actually happens because we don’t want anybody injured, an elderly person or disabled person breaking a hip or whatever.

“It could result in dire consequences, a loss of life at the end of the day, couldn’t it?

“So we do need the law applying.

“So I was very pleased to see the Police and Crime Commissioner has already stated that it is time to get tough on the e-bikes.

“So my only issue is, of course, we should have been tough on this all along. It has got to this stage it is now where it is difficult to rein back in.

“But I’m very glad measures are now being taken regarding this, and it does constitute a real and present danger for most elderly people, disabled people going about their normal business on pavements and pedestrian areas, and there could be dire consequences for individual people, and we don’t want that to happen.

“I’m probably old-fashioned, but I believe in cracking down on things before they get to the stages where it becomes very difficult to fall back on these particular matters.”