E-bikes - are they illegal in cities like Leeds, Sheffield or York?

Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. E-bikes. Bloody e-bikes. Why? On so many levels, why? I'll come to the how shortly, but they're absolutely everywhere these days and they're a menace. Walking through Leeds of a morning in particular, but at any time of day, even I, a great-big strapping fella, feel vulnerable. Lord knows how anyone who may be a bit unsteady on their feet must feel. A quick Google search brings up one I clocked on my way to work this morning. It's £1,499 and the sales pitch suggests it is capable of doing 200 miles in between charges - about the equivalent of Scarborough to Huddersfield and back again. Same said sales pitch also says its top speed is 15mph. Besides an asterisk it says (default). Another quick search online: 'how do I unlock the top speed of X e-bike?' and I'm told that if you hold the 'i' button down on the control panel, your humble little pushiron will hit 40mph and I can bally well believe that. I've seen it for myself. On pavements! Also, at £1,499 the model my eye fell upon is far from the most expensive, which begs the question: how the hell can these young lads (and they are almost always lads) afford them? Zero-hours contracts, presumably with city-centre rent to pay and bills to cover etc, on a zero hours junk food delivery contract earning minimum wage. Where are they getting thousands and thousands of pounds from to pay for these things? And why are they riding round wearing balaclavas and face coverings? Surely plod has permission to apprehend everyone of them ... and crush their motorbikes (let's face it, that's what they are) while they're at it!? Local authorities have broken their backs to demonise and alienate motor vehicles from town and city centres with a combination of emission zone tolls, extortionate parking fees and convoluted routing, signalling and contraflowing, only to allow those urban jungles to be swarmed by what are to all intents and purposes untaxed, unlicensed electrical mopeds the riders of which pay no attention to the rules of the road, dart in and out of pedestrians on pavements, generally putting life and limb in danger. The scooters are the same. I was overtaken this morning on my commute by an e-scooter on the pavement heading towards the city centre. It was easily clocking 30mph. On the pavement! Seriously, it is now dangerous to shop in a town or city centre because of these things, and the authorities are doing nothing to stop them. Is it just me that objects to being subjected to a maelstrom of high-speed missiles every time I step out on the pavement? Have I become overly cantankerous about menial things or are you all as fed up of this blight on society as I am? James — Word of the day: Hoodlum. A balaclava-wearing, knuckle-dragging, hot-rod riding deliverer of steamy, fatty gloop into the sweaty hands of those too lazy to cook a vegetable. On this day: 1984 - Three more people die in the food poisoning epidemic in hospitals across Yorkshire, bringing the number of deaths to date to 22. Born on this day: Queen Elizabeth I, 1533 — Write to me - it's nice to hear from you all: [email protected] Lend a hand - we need you more than ever - https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/subscriptions NB: correspondence sent to me will be deemed fit for publication. This is an online version of the editor's regular newsletter. Not all of James' newsletters are published as online articles as well. To ensure you don't miss one, subscribe today to lend James and The Yorkshire Post your support > https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/newsletter