Amidst Delhi govt’s e-bike push, police flag ‘misuse’ by those under 13, without helmet

A senior officer said, “We understand that a large number of youngsters and tourists prefer e-bikes for travelling, especially in Lutyens’ and South Delhi. How-ever, they don’t have helmets and are found speeding and overtaking cars and trucks past midnight. The offenders don’t need a licence and there have been cases where we spotted 2-3 persons on an e-bike. The rules state that there can be no pillion riders.” Officers said they suspect that such incidents will result in big accidents. As per traffic police, every day, at least 10-17 offenders on e-bikes are “noticed” but can’t be challaned because of limitations of the MV Act.

SS Yadav, Special Commiss-ioner of Police (Traffic Police), said, “The safety of pedestrians and other road users, especially in New Delhi district, is a major concern despite their pollution-free features. In CP, India Gate, Rajpath, Khan Market, there are concerns as we have found children in uniform speeding at peak traffic hours without helmet.”

“On busy routes, they slow down fast vehicles. Due to its low height, accidents are likely to happen when heavy vehicles are on the road,” he added.

When driven at its maximum speed, bikes can go up to 25 km/hour and due to its low height, users ride them on pavements. “Many of these bikes have no reflectors. Also, no company staff is available at docking or charging stations and many bikes are abandoned,” said an officer.

Though the Delhi Transport Department has not received any notice from police, they said they will help check the regulation of e-bikes on roads. Ashish Kundra, Delhi Transport Commissioner, said, “We have advised that they are not meant for main roads. There should be geo-fencing of such bikes. We have done this for e-rickshaws and e-autos which only ply on certain roads. Since the alleged misuse is under the ambit of road safety, we will look into it.”

Meanwhile an official from a rental e-bike company said, “The e-bikes are permitted for users above the age of 15 years. We advise riders to use helmets. We have marshals and officials to enforce rules…”