So who’s buying all of these Mercs, Beemers and Audis then? I know, and work with, a lot of people who have next to no interest in cars but they drive something expensive because they can. It’s a status symbol as I said. You may argue that this is anecdotal but the sales figures prove otherwise…
No, I argue that the sales figures do not prove it. The sales figures only prove that they sell. There may be many reasons. Maybe those are the cars with the best reviews that the people you know can afford. Part of that may be that the reviewers like them because they are status symbols but that does not feature in many good reviews.
The inconvenience caused to cars, and the resulting congestion outweighed the benefit to buses. Clearly the local authority carried out a similar cost benefit analysis.
If it is so clear, can you show us that analysis, please? I think it more likely that the motoring lobby applied pressure to politicians until they instructed removal to placate the complainers and to hell with resident health.
28mph is into the territory where an accident could easily be serious or even fatal, so it seems reasonable to me that these should have some greater regulation - though perhaps not the full gamut applied to motorbikes.
Yes, I would agree with that. I think riders have to be insured adults in Germany, but I have never ridden one so am not familiar with the law there.
So they're in essence electric mopeds, more of the Dutch Bromfiets category than the typical 30mph-limited motor scooters you see in the UK?
I think bromfietsen do not have to have pedals and they are much heavier, so no, an S bike is much more like an E bike with assistance to a higher speed than a bromfiets.
They certainly sound like they have uses, but I don't object to them being regulated as the same as the equivalent (in speed terms) petrol vehicle.
I think the current practical problems with that are that bulk approval is over the top and very expensive, plus petrol motorcycle MOT testers do not understand them, plus the current motorcycle compulsory basic training in practice has to be done on motorbikes. Perhaps all those can be solved but I think e-scooters will be legalised and harvest the bottom out of the market before that happens.