OBA says legislation should keep pace with the technology
Statement by Craig Cannonier, Shadow Minister of Transport:
As the House of Assembly prepares to return, Bermuda’s continuing concerns surrounding e-bikes and road safety require a clear and informed response.
The starting point is simple: Not all e-bikes are the same.
The term “e-bike” is increasingly being used to describe machines with dramatically different levels of power, speed, design, and capability. Broadly, there are four categories Bermuda should distinguish between.
First, pedal-assist electric bicycles. These operate fundamentally as bicycles. The rider pedals and an electric motor provides assistance. They are generally lower-powered and are very different from the machines at the centre of many of today’s road-safety concerns.
Second, low-powered or throttle-assisted electric bicycles. Depending on their design, these can operate under electric power without continuous pedalling but remain relatively limited in speed and performance.
Third, high-powered electric bikes, including scrambler, dirt-bike and off-road-style machines. This is where the classification issue becomes particularly important.
These machines can have motorcycle-style frames and suspension, substantial motor output, rapid acceleration, and performance capabilities approaching those of motorcycles.
Some high-performance electric machines currently on the market are advertised with maximum speeds approaching 90 to 95 kilometres per hour. Bermuda’s general maximum road speed is 35 kilometres per hour.
Capability does not mean every rider is travelling at those speeds, but it should matter when determining how a vehicle is classified and what safety requirements apply.
Fourth, electric motorcycles. These are machines that are, by their design, capability, and intended use, fundamentally motorcycles powered by electricity rather than petrol.
Bermuda already has an established regulatory framework for motorcycles, including requirements relating to licensing, registration, insurance, and protective headgear. The challenge presented by newer electric machines is ensuring that our legislation clearly determines when a high-powered electric vehicle should fall within that framework.
So, the question Bermuda needs to answer is: When does an e-bike become a motorcycle; particularly when dealing with high-powered scrambler and off-road-style electric machines?
A vehicle should not automatically be treated as a bicycle simply because it is electric or marketed as an “e-bike”. Likewise, a conventional pedal-assist bicycle should not face the same requirements as a machine capable of motorcycle-level performance.
The One Bermuda Alliance believes classification should be based on objective characteristics, including maximum design speed, motor power, vehicle weight, functional pedals, and the design and intended use of the vehicle.
Once those categories are clear, proportionate requirements can follow.
For higher-powered machines, that may include minimum age requirements, rider training, licensing and registration, insurance, helmet and safety standards, and clear rules about where they can legally operate.
And where a machine’s design, capability and intended use place it within the motorcycle framework, the appropriate motorcycle requirements should apply.
There must also be clarity before these machines reach Bermuda’s roads. Importers and retailers should know how a vehicle will be classified before bringing it into Bermuda or offering it for sale. Parents and consumers should know what they are purchasing, and police should have a clear framework they can enforce.
This is not about banning e-bikes or penalising responsible riders.
Electric mobility has a place in Bermuda. This is about ensuring our legislation keeps pace with rapidly changing technology while protecting everyone who shares our roads.
The principle is straightforward: Understand the technology. Classify it properly. Regulate it appropriately.
Bermuda should not wait for another serious incident before answering the fundamental question: When does an e-bike become a motorcycle?
