Without marking, without technical inspection, without speed limit and without license. Motorized bicycles or assisted bicycles flood the streets of the country regardless of road safety problems.
The phenomenon has been growing for several years, but in recent months its presence has been notable at every traffic light, street or parking lot, in addition to some rural areas, where they are quickly gaining ground as a favorite means of transportation.
These are “camouflaged motorcycles with pedals” and, therefore, they must be regulated to avoid fatal accidents, according to Roy Rojas, Project Director of the Road Safety Council.
Regulations pending
“We have the modified bicycle, which is the conventional bicycle, to which an engine is attached. On the other hand, we have assisted bikes, which can be electric or combustion-powered and which represent a trap for importers of this type of vehicle, since by having pedals, they are considered bicycles and, therefore, do not have any regulation. at the moment. They do not have a license, nor do we have a license,” Rojas added.In essence, the law states that if a two-wheeled vehicle has pedals, they cannot be considered motorcycles.
A popular tendency
The growth of motorized bicycles or assisted bicycles is due in part to the rise of delivery platforms that have become popular in recent years as a source of work.Likewise, the affordable price of the vehicles, some of ¢300 thousand, makes them a cheap mobility option.
There are gasoline and electric assisted bikes on the market, so the latter could help reduce pollution.In that sense, micromobility is not bad, since it helps to unload the roads saturated with cars, but it is also true that the current situation is not ideal, since since there is no regulation of any kind, the danger of fatal accidents is very high.
“Cars, with their speed, mass and omnipresence, are responsible for the vast majority of road fatalities, including many that involve delivery people, who make their living on mopeds and micromobility vehicles (…) What What we need is strong regulation of the technical specifications of the micromobility vehicles that we import, accompanied by effective control at customs and on the streets, to avoid modifications after importation,” said David Gómez, Sustainable Mobility consultant.
The expert also points out that electric assisted bikes are low cost, lightweight, generate zero emissions, reach low speed, are efficient, portable and designed for intermodality, which would help mitigate dams and have a better quality of life.
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