A cyclist riding an electric bicycle travelling beyond 45 kilometres per hour on a public road will need a license to do so. This is amid a notable rise in electric bicycles on Cape Town roads.
This follows the signing of the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill into law in December 2024.
Part of the bill’s proposals included providing a broader definition of the “pedal cycle”.
The conclusion, which was assented to, was that electric bicycles that exceed 45 kilometres per hour would be treated the same as motorcycles and require a license to operate.
And by law, these bicycles (or motor vehicles) would be registered, and the driver thereof must have a license to operate it.
The Presidency on 5 December 2024 said the signing of this bill is aimed at improving safety on roads in as many respects as possible.
“The Bill gives effect to the National Road Safety Strategy, which has five pillars: road safety management; safer roads and mobility; safer vehicles; safer road users, and post-crash response,” read the Presidency’s statement.
The chair of the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee in Cape Town, Mzwakhe Nqavashe, said he would write to the National Transport Minister for more clarity on the amendments.
“The amendment is welcomed, particularly as the City has noted an increase in the use of electric pedal cycles, but it is critical that we all have a clear understanding of the expectations accompanying it,” said Nqavashe.
He wants to, among other things, create awareness for road users on the changes, advise law enforcement staff of what action they should take, as well as consider possible changes to City by-laws.
Nqavashe has, however, advised pedal cyclists that all road laws apply to them.
This includes stopping at red lights or stop streets, signalling, wearing appropriate safety attire and not using freeways and sidewalks.
“Among the more common transgressions that our Traffic Officers find are cyclists entering roadways in a manner that is unsafe, and riding on sidewalks,” said Nqavashe.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this article included an image of an e-bike operated by Green Riders. Smile FM had no intention of suggesting that Green Riders’ e-bikes are not in compliance with the law. To avoid any confusion, we have replaced the image with a generic electric bicycle to illustrate the new law conceptually.
