Cardiff Council and police crack down on illegal e-bikes

South Wales Police, who conducted an operation alongside Cardiff Council to clamp down on cycling through Queen Street on Thursday, July 27, seized 17 e-bikes which had the capability to travel between 30mph and 42 mph.

Use of Cardiff city centre’s busy pedestrianised streets by cyclists, which is banned, is an issue the local authority and police have been trying to stop for years.

A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “Any electric bike that exceeds 15.5mph or has a throttle on the bike is classed as a motorcycle and not a bicycle.

“To drive these vehicles, the vehicle must be registered with the DVLA, the driver must have a motorbike licence and the vehicle must be insured.”

Cardiff Council carried out a joint operation alongside South Wales Police on Thursday July 27 which saw 17 illegal e-bikes seized. Picture: Cardiff Council

Over the course of their operations, the council and police have pulled over and spoken to 1,300 people, 70 per cent of whom were riding illegal electric bikes.

On the 17 bikes which were seized by the police, the council spokesperson added: “All the vehicles had a throttle, and the majority of the bikes seized had defective brakes, which is exceptionally dangerous.

“Since the operation has taken place, the city centre wardens haven’t seen any illegal electric bikes being used in the city centre.”

The council said that these operations will continue and that illegal electric bikes will be seized by the police.

Pictures taken by the council in a social media post on last week’s operation show officers speaking to delivery riders on electric bikes.

Just Eat has said it has no couriers who it directly employs in Cardiff. Couriers in Cardiff either work directly for Just Eat’s independent restaurant partners, and therefore the deliveries are managed and fulfilled completely independently from Just Eat, or are self-employed independent contractors.

The company has a code of conduct for couriers and requires them to hold a licence valid for the category of vehicle they are driving as well as the relevant insurance.

Couriers are also required to comply with The Road Traffic Acts and the Highway Code.

A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “Deliveroo condemns the use of illegal e-bikes and supports Cardiff Council in tackling this issue.”

An Uber spokesperson said: “We expect couriers to adhere to all applicable laws and regulations, including the Highway Code and we have measures in place to help ensure couriers use appropriate vehicles.”