Come July 1st electric bikes will be banned in Shenzen, China because according to China, electric bikes have caused more than 15% of accidents resulting in 64 people dead and leaving 233 injured, and China’s reasoning behind these accidents? The electric bikes are too quiet.
Yes you read that right, a mode of transportation that is green and is quiet in a country of a billion people, has been banned. Those familiar with China should already know that the bicycle has been one of the main modes of transportation due to them being more affordable than a car, and in a country of a billion people, even having half a billion cars on the roads would just be insane in terms of traffic jams, so not only are bicycles cheaper, they’re more efficient. Bicycles are also slow which brought about the electric bike which is a faster option compared to the bicycle, while maintaining a level of affordability.
This decision was also apparently made without any public input whatsoever, which is something that should have been put out to the public first as they could have provided some solutions to the “silence” of their electric bikes, i.e. adding horns, bells, a motor soundbox or anything, so many possibilities but yet none were proposed. Either way it’s still not a total loss as bicycles are still going strong, just that riders will now have to get used to going back to a slower pace.
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