Police crackdown on e-bikes and delivery drivers in Lewisham, Eltham and Charlton
Police have launched a crackdown on e-bikes across three south east London towns in recent days.
The operation focused on Lewisham, Charlton and Eltham with 10 e-bikes seized in Lewisham.
In Eltham and Charlton police sized 11 vehicles, issued 21 traffic offence reports and made 1 arrest.
Operations look to have targeted delivery drivers used by popular apps. An earlier operation in Eltham saw “six bikes seized as well as 31 hi-vis jackets given to riders, 1 person arrested for driving disqualified and 2 arrested for immigration offences”.
In the UK the maximum speed of an e-bike is 15.5mph with some modified to travel at higher speeds.
Ongoing complaints have also raised issues of poor parking and riding in town centres by some delivery drivers.
I’ve seen the Police stationing a facial recognition van at least twice and arresting delivery drivers in Woolwich (in the bit they park at outside the maccys and Nandos). I wonder if a bigger operation will follow.
I do feel for the riders presumably making barely enough to live on, but those bike (speaking as a cycling enthusiast) are a real menace.
I also sympathise for any person trying to make an honest living, but people should be more mindful and considerate of everyone around them.
Let’s be honest, there are questions on the legal status of many of the delivery drivers, there are too many that ride on the pavements, weave in an out of traffic dangerously (yet if there was an accident, the car driver would likely get the blame), and congregate in areas lowering the town of the area.
I’m sure most are not like this, but there’s a significant amount that are spoiling the reputation of the good ones.
@Loz: a facial recognition van was also in Lewisham town centre last month. At this time of the year when it’s bright and a lot people are wearing sunglasses, I wondered what was the point. Some people still adopt face masks even out in the streets.
@Graham: I think there must be a type of classification that prevents those bikes being treated as “powered two wheelers” in the same way as motorcycles and mopeds, so that they fall out of the requirement for insurance and taxation. There are a few riders that I see all the time around my neck of the woods, but never on the pavement.
If they’re going after those big black electric-looking bikes with fat tyres, I hope that they get them all. They move as fast as mopeds and look as heavy or heavier, and as big or bigger, but have no licence plates.
I agree Jason. Also I seen this same thick tyres electric bike riders speed on pavements and through parks etc at high speeds with out a care for anyone around them.
These type of bikes with the thick should have to have registration plates and drivers should need a driving licence and insurance to use these heavy electric bikes as they are heavier and faster than mopeds as mentioned.
The government could quite easily introduce licensing and insurance requirements for these devices, something small like £20 a year, to encourage uptake of more suitable bikes.
As it is, this is just the police kicking downwards to show that they’re doing something. Those riders may be a menace on those bikes but they’re making an honest living, one job to the next. Woolwich is full of anti-social types who wander with impunity, while the ones engaged in useful work get their livelihood confiscated. Its not difficult to make things easier all round, but that requires more joined-up thinking than currently evidenced.
About time too. Anyone ordering food from these uber or just eat bikers needs their heads testing. They are filthy dirty and rude. I wouldn’t trust them with anything i was going to eat. I expect half of them are illegal too.
Police should also target the river walk around woolwich. Those delivery cyclist with the heavy looking bikes and fat tires speed past people on what is a pedestrianised area. I often think there will occur an accident or worse involving a small child as young families use these paths and parents often zombified by their phones.
And these deliroo/ubereats drivers sometimes even deviate from the green demarcated cycling way.
Often we get almost run over by these delivery people because they mount the pavement to circumvent the car barriers.
Not sure if anyone saw the police chase on Shooters Hill Road (heading up towards Welling) earlier today.
They were chasing a gang of 3/4 on quad bikes riding recklessly.
Then later on there were 40-50 hoodlums on motor bikes, mopeds and quad bikes who took over both sides of Shooters Hill Road (along the main parade of shops heading towards Welling) AND the pavements, speeding and riding recklessly (some were filming it on their phones)!
I also witnessed the Co-Op on Shooters Hill/Corelli Road getting robbed by a female shoplifter and when confronted, her accomplice/partner? ran in threatening the staff/security!!!
What the hell is going on to my once beautiful Greenwich?!!!
@ HK sadly these incidents are happening more and more of late.
They have been known to have been used in crime as have the riders on the thick black tyre electric bikes where the riders tend to be dressed in all in black woth no crash helmets with their faces largely hidden especially when it comes to phone snatches etc.
The police face recognition vans are a good idea and can help identify suspects wanted by the police. They can also acts as a deterrent against crime. So I am happy to see them in our town centres and where large amounts of people gather. Anything thar can help get a dangerous susoect of our streets, stops a crine taking place is fine by me.
We all want to feel safer when out and about.
Yes I saw some of the quad bike chase — 3 police cars in pursuit. Do we know if they were caught? They were so bold.