Israel’s Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz issued a statement on Wednesday stating that the Transportation Ministry has put together a plan of action with regards to how to deal with the licensing of electrical bicycles. The new plan includes a series of practical steps aimed at increasing safety precautions for electrical bicycle riders.
Currently, electrical bicycle riders fall into two categories in ISrael, those who have a license to drive a motorised vehicle, either car or motorcycle, and those aged 16 who are in the process of learning how to drive a motorized vehicle. According to the new plan that is set to take effect on January 1st, 2019, all students studying how to drive will be required to take a specialized course that will certify them to be able to ride an electric bicycle. At the end of the concise course there will be a written test. The National Ministry for Road Safety will oversee the certification of the new students.
The plan also includes a sanction for anyone under the age of 16 who is caught riding an electric bicycle. The sanction states that such a person would have any future license that they pursue deferred by a year and the confiscation of the bicycle. Another sanction stated that anyone who alters the physical frame or shape of the bicycle will be fined 10,000 shekels. This sanction includes anyone removing the part of the bicycle that prevents the vehicle from traveling faster than 25 kmh.
Furthermore, local authorities will now be empowered to revoke the license of any store caught selling an electric bicycle to anyone under the age of 16 or anyone caught selling illegally adapted electric bicycles.
Anyone caught driving these bicycles illegally will also face large fines. Illegal driving includes, driving without a helmet, driving under the age of 16, driving while talking on a phone, driving while listening to headphones and others.
Katz is also looking into making license plates mandatory for the vehicles, which would allow law enforcement to more easily identify the riders. Additionally, he also instructed a committee to come up with a proposal on how to enforce riders to wear bright color vests and have working lights on the bicycles while riding at night.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
so many kids have these bicycles and they drive them on the sidewalks and as I am an old person they scare me. I know that they are silent and if I get hit by them, I will fall and probably break my bones….