Rebecca Morley

Hi-Bike’s e-bike scheme in Inverness has been restarted following its suspension last month due to what was described as “an obscene amount of vandalism”. The capacity will be approximately 50% of the original fleet size. Hi-Bike said the vandalism had caused approximately £100,000 of damage to its bikes, and that all but about six to eight bikes out of 50 had been damaged. Chris Finlay, project manager at HiTrans, told the Inverness Courier the reintroduction will be a “soft launch,” with new measures to prevent further vandalism.

An open letter organised by national shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) is calling for the new Labour government to ‘urgently’ legalise e-scooters, saying it is the only way to resolve the problems caused by “entirely unregulated” privately-owned e-scooters being ridden on public roads. The letter, to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and her ministers, says e-scooters could be legalised through the creation of a new “low powered zero emission vehicle class” which could also cover other forms of transport.

There have also been 1,229 fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists since July last year

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) says Amazon and Deliveroo have "recognised the part they can play" when it comes to supporting its #ChargeSafe campaign, which aims to raise awareness about how people can reduce the risk of fire from e-bikes and e-scooters. The brigade says that, thanks to their collaboration, when someone buys an e-bike, e-scooter or accessory such as a battery pack, conversion kit or charger from Amazon, they will receive an email notification with “easy-to-understand tips on how to use and store them safely”.

The UK cycling sector, including industry trade bodies, e-bike brands, bike shops, and charities, has joined forces for an ‘E-Bike Positive’ campaign to boost knowledge of e-bike battery safety, helping the public to safely buy, charge, and ride them. Launched by the Electric Bike Alliance, with members including Cycling UK, the Bicycle Association, the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT), and Bosch eBike Systems, it will also advise the government on how to better protect UK consumers and businesses, and will help people identify high-quality, legal e-bike products through free resources.

Operator says the project could help generate up to 50,000 more e-bike trips by reducing the need for battery swaps

Electric Bike Alliance - E-Bike Positive.jpg, by Electric Bike Alliance

Wheels for Wellbeing has said it is “very concerned” that organisations including Transport for London (TfL), a range of NHS trusts and other public bodies are considering banning e-cycles from being parked or used on their premises, and that insurers and landlords are removing permission for e-cycles to be stored in homes.

"I came out [of the cafe] and looked up and did a double take because it wasn’t there. It was hard to believe"

Maximum speed can be adjusted from 45km/h to 25km/h via remote access