E-bikes issue for motorhomers in Northern Ireland

Motorhomers looking to take electric bikes with them when they travel through Northern Ireland are being warned to look out for some unfinished legislation that may mean they have to acquire licences for their two-wheeled transport

A news story by the BBC in August suggested ebike riders “must have licences” for their vehicles.

The item stated that Northern Ireland had fallen behind the rest of Great Britain in taking ebikes out of a ruling made back in 1995, subjecting them to the same requirements as mopeds.

It reported: “Legislation to change the law in NI began in 2016, but cannot be completed as the assembly is not sitting. As a result, electric bikes in Northern Ireland need to be insured, taxed and registered with the DVLA. Riders will also have to wear a crash helmet.”

However, because this is just a glitch in the legislative process some people are suggesting ebike users may be OK.

Martin McMullan, Director at LifeAdventure Co, an operator of specialist adventure activities (including ebike tours), tells Outandaboutlive: “As per usual in NI, we lag behind the UK mainland in terms of legislation while the UK mainland tends to lag behind Europe!

“The particular legislation in question was originally developed for a very different purpose and existed way before the current style of e-bike existed. The European legislation changed accordingly many years back with the UK mainland, albeit slowly, following behind, while NI is still pending.”

He adds: “From my research, I believe the relevant departments recognised the problem and as such, the background work has been done to change the NI legislation and just requires ministerial sign-off. I’ve also had feedback to suggest the enforcement of the outdated legislation is not a priority for the relevant authorities, including the police. So, in brief, the European legislation is in place, the UK mainland legislation is in place and NI’s getting there!”

You can read a guide to buying an electric bike here.