A rider parks his e-bike at Zhongguancun, Haidian district.

A man rides his e-bike on a main road. Photos: CFP

On September 5 during her morning bicycle ride to work at a bank, a 30-year-old woman surnamed Zhong became the victim of a hit-and-run involving an electric bicycle, or e-bike. As she stopped at a red light nearby the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Haidian district, the rider plowed into her before fleeing the scene.

Zhong has since been recovering at the Beijing Red Cross Emergency Rescue Center from injuries including three fractured ribs and a ruptured spleen, according to the Beijing Morning Post. Like many cyclists and pedestrians, she joins the long list of people injured in road accidents involving e-bikes or motorized scooters.

China is currently home to an estimated 150 million e-bikes, with more than 1 million in Beijing alone, according to the China Bicycle Association. A popular choice among riders due to their convenience, energy efficiency and affordability, e-bikes have also earned a reputation as leading culprits in road accidents due to their top speed of nearly 60 kilometers per hour, weight of more than 20 kilograms and frequent use of bicycle lanes.

Silent killer on the road

Zhong is one of many victims this year to be involved in a road accident involving an e-bike. On September 11, another cyclist suffered severe head injuries after an e-bike hit him from behind at Hujialou, Chaoyang district. On August 13, a senior citizen was fatally injured by an e-bike rider traveling down the wrong side of the road on Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing Police said on its Sina Weibo account.

Xu Chunlin, a 27-year-old hotel receptionist, said she's often troubled by e-bike riders on the street. "Many people ride e-bikes at high speeds, yet they can be difficult to dodge because you don't hear them coming," Xu told Metro Beijing. "I can't count the times I've narrowly avoided being hit."

The lack of noise made by e-bikes is one of the leading factors in accidents. In the US, some local governments have banned e-bikes along with Segways due to the danger of pedestrians and cyclists not being able to hear them. 

E-bike riders often come under fire from cyclists for using bicycle lanes, but they also attract ire among motorists for using main roads. Taxi driver Zhou Yushan, 43, labeled e-bike riders who use motorways as "troublemakers."

"I'm tired of driving alongside e-bike riders. They are much more fragile than cars, yet many riders even dare pass through narrow spaces between cars - it's suicide," Zhou murmured, gesturing at one particular e-bike rider on the opposite side of road hurtling down the wrong side with a large box fastened to the backseat. "He's not only risking his own life, but also bringing trouble to motorists."

One of the reasons such reckless road behavior is seldom punished is because of a loophole in Chinese traffic laws, which categorize e-bikes as non-motor vehicles. This theoretically means if an accident occurs involving a car and e-bike, the motorist bears responsibility unless they can prove the rider was at fault.

Bank employee and e-bike rider Liu Wu, 30, argues that it is the few "unqualified people's behavior" that tarnishes the reputation of all e-bike riders in Beijing.

"I don't see many problems with e-bikes," said Liu. "I've been riding my e-bike for three years and have never caused any trouble. The only thing riders need to keep in mind is to never ride too fast and avoid using main roads."

Future laws for e-bikes

A police officer surnamed Liu from the Haidian District Traffic Management Team told Metro Beijing that e-bikes require tighter regulation. The officer, whose jurisdiction includes the site of Zhong's crash, told Metro Beijing he has witnessed "countless" accidents involving e-bikes.

"Riders crash into pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and even each other," said officer Liu, adding speed is a major factor in accidents. "They can travel as fast as 60 kilometers per hour, and some are even bigger than motorbikes. Even though they can be as lethal as motorbikes, people don't need to be licensed to ride e-bikes."

This loophole appeared to have been closed on September 1, when China's new guidelines for vehicles - The Safety Specifications for Power-driven Vehicles - supposedly came into effect. People who buy new e-bikes were reportedly required under the guidelines to register their bike and purchase an insurance policy to legally ride on the road.

But these guidelines, which stipulate e-bikes capable of traveling up to 50 kilometers per hour and weighing more than 40 kilograms would be categorized as motorbikes, proved to be false despite being widely reported in the domestic media.

Lu Jinlong, vice president of the China Bicycle Association, cast doubt over the ability to enforce such regulations, saying further consideration is still needed. "This so-called standard applies to motor vehicles yet doesn't define what is categorized as e-bikes," said Lu.

"I'm working with other experts on drafting national guidelines for e-bikes, which should be issued in 2013."

Zhou, is among supporters of the proposed regulations, stressing that they are long overdue. "The laws should have been changed long ago. Categorizing high-speed e-bikes as motor vehicles would effectively regulate the riders' behavior," he said.

No substitute for the law

While high-speed e-bikes are still on sale in Beijing, Lu pointed out they could disappear next year if the law he is helping draft wins approval.

"We are considering introducing a speed limit mechanism for new e-bikes that would automatically cut power if a bike travels faster than permitted. Such a mechanism could help avoid future accidents," said Lu, without specifying what the cutoff speed would be. He added there are also plans to install speakers on new e-bikes that produce sound to alert people on roads.

"China now has more than 100 million cars and every year 100,000 people die nationally from car accidents," said Lu.

"By contrast, the country has 150 million e-bikes and around 4,000 related deaths from accidents annually. We are making efforts on the production side of things, but laws should also be changed to offer better guidance to riders."