Why it's time to ban takeaway delivery e-bikes from Edinburgh's cycle paths – Stephen Jardine
E-bikes are supposed to have a top speed of 15.5mph but conversion kits can make them go a lot faster
Just over a century ago, rail lines criss-crossed Edinburgh. You could catch a train from Granton to Scotland Street, from Haymarket to Morningside and from Newington to Portobello.
After the Second World War, the suburban branch lines started to close and transport in the capital feels like it has been going backwards ever since. One of the few bright positives has been the decision to convert the old routes into a network of cycle paths.
Much loved by cyclists, runners and dog walkers, they provide a badly needed alternative to the congested city streets as well as a wonderful habitat for wildlife.
An accident waiting to happen
However, they now have another much less welcome purpose. Over the last couple of years, the city’s cycle paths have become a super highway for electric food delivery bikes. They fly along at breakneck speed without any thought for other users and it’s only going to be a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt.
I understand why the cycle paths seem so attractive to them. These riders have delivery targets and staying on the congested roads means contending with cars, vans and buses as well as having to stop at traffic lights.
On the cycle paths, they can bypass all of that and hit maximum speed. That’s supposed to be 15.5mph but a Sky News investigation found many food delivery bikes have been adapted to go much faster. Higher speed conversion kits are available online for as little as £300. That makes them an accident waiting to happen.
The cycle paths are wonderful spaces but they are unpredictable. Dogs can veer after a squirrel, runners wearing headphones are in their own zone and traditional cyclists are trying to navigate all of that. It’s a space for moving at a sedate pace with your wits about you, not for hurtling at full pelt to deliver chicken chow mein to someone too fat and lazy to make their own.
I’ve seen numerous near misses this year involving these demon bikes and assorted small children, dog walkers and other cyclists.
An easily enforced ban
The big takeaway delivery firms all claim they constantly remind workers about their safety obligations. Well they would say that, wouldn’t they? Pointing to paragraph 40 of the ‘Good Food Delivery Rider Handbook’ is a neat way of trying to sidestep corporate responsibility but good luck with that approach if it ever ends up in court.
However there is an easy answer to this. The routes taken by the delivery riders are all tracked on apps by their employers. So Edinburgh Council could tell delivery firms that their use of the paths is making them less pleasant and safe, and since they were not designed for fast commercial use, electric delivery bikes are now banned. With route monitoring in place, that should be easy to enforce as a condition of service.
The past year has seen a sharp increase in the number of e-bike accidents resulting in fatalities and serious injuries. According to Cycling Law Scotland, the legal system needs to get up to speed with the impact they are having on transportation.
But until then, restricting their access to shared spaces like the urban cycle path network would be a move in the right direction.
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