Pedelec users are calling for the elimination of the need to register. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Pedelec use is going rapidly downhill as new rules put spokes in the wheels for the riders of these environmentally friendly, electrically assisted bicycles.

Users of pedelecs have, over the past few weeks, “been made to jump through hoops” as they scrambled to register their bikes after the transport watchdog said penalties would kick in come September 1 for defaulters.

“The threat of regulation in the past couple of years has had a negative effect on sales, with pedelec use dropping by 85 per cent between 2012 and 2014, according to our national bike count. The latest push for registration has seen sales nosedive,” said Jim Wightman of Bicycle Advocacy Group.

He noted that owners of pedelecs have had to return several times to have their bikes inspected or registered because they did not have the right documents.

Unlike cars, pedelecs do not come with a type certificate or logbook, so owners have to provide the specifications themselves. Most often, they go back and forth between the seller and the manufacturer to get hold of the documents.

He said such was the situation that one member quipped whether he should register his pedelec to be petrol- or diesel-powered, since they had to submit the same sort of forms as car owners.

It is time the government treated normal pedelecs the same way as any other EU state

Meanwhile, some did not have the original VAT receipt as they had submitted it to benefit from a government funding scheme, or had bought the bike second hand.

Malta was the only EU state they were aware of that required the registration of pedelecs under 250 watts and powered speed of 25km/h, he noted.

“While we understand the need to remove the noisy homebuilt illegal petrol bikes from our roads, it is time the government saw sense and treated normal pedelecs the same way as any other EU state.”

For the past three years the group has been calling for the elimination of the need to register pedelecs, while urging enforcement of legislation. Discussion peaked in 2013 when a man was hit and seriously injured by a motorised bicycle.

Bicycles fitted with an internal combustion engine or running on petrol or an auxiliary electric motor are illegal.

Unlike such bikes, pedelecs have a motor attached to them that switches off when the rider reaches 25km/h or stops pedalling.

Environmentalist George De-bono has been riding a pedelec for eight years, since his knee started giving him trouble at 70, as it makes it easier to ride up hills.

He believes that while the EU was doing everything to ease use of pedelecs and traffic congestion, Malta had gone in the opposite direction by placing obstacles to their purchase and use.

Imposed registration was introduced without warning, he added. Owners were not advised about the required documents, then were given too little time to get hold of them.

While asking for an extension of the September 1 registration deadline or removal of the need to register, the advocacy group is calling on owners to take as much information as they can when they go to register, including something specifically stating the maximum output of 250w.

They also have to prove they have lights, a bell, and unlike a motorcycle, prove they have a helmet for inspection.