Officers from West Midlands Police will be “engaging with delivery riders” in Coventry City Centre next week in response to rising complaints about the behaviour of e-bike riders. The force has warned that any riders flouting the law could be prosecuted.
Coventry currently has a public space protection order (PSPO) in place, stipulating that people must cycle in a "careful and considerate manner" through the centre and dismount when officers tell them to. Somewhat unusually, this references e-bikes as being a particular problem.
Council officer Liam Nagle has previously said that the issue relates to a "quite niche cohort of people."
Expanding on this, he said: "We say almost without exception it tends to be food delivery riders."
The PSPO references the maximum speed (15.5mph) and power (250W) for a bike to qualify as an electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC), which perhaps suggests that vehicles exceeding these limits are part of the problem.
> Electric bikes and UK law: What is and isn't allowed for e-bikes under UK legislation?
Responding to council plans to renew the PSPO next month, Lyndsay Smith, Deputy Manager of Coventry's Business Improvement District (BID), wrote: "The past year has seen a rise in the number of e-bikes within the city centre, especially as they are used as a mode of transport for companies who deliver food orders for our hospitality businesses. This has resulted in pedestrianised areas being infiltrated by e-bike riders.
"Interactions between cyclists and other vulnerable road users in shared spaces are increasing and it’s a high priority for the BID to support any measures that can be put into place to reduce risk of injury.
"We work to make the city centre accessible to all visitors and it has been highlighted that e-bike incidents heavily contribute to the reasons why some of Coventry’s residents feel reluctant to visit the city centre to shop."
The Coventry Telegraph reports that West Midlands Police and the council have issued stickers and leaflets to food outlets and e-bike delivery riders to make them aware of the legal situation.
"We are happy to support the council in renewing this PSPO,” said Sergeant Dean Stew, the force’s Coventry lead for off-road bike crime and anti-social behaviour. “We are listening to the community concerns in the area and know how much of an issue the anti-social use of e-bikes can be."
