Authorities can't turn a blind eye to electric bikes

ELECTRIC BICYCLES and tricycles have become a sore point in Beijing's traffic situation, Legal Daily commented on Saturday:

It is not uncommon for those using electric bicycles and tricycles to break the traffic rules, especially couriers delivering packages. Their ignoring the traffic rules, of course, comes at a cost. Last year, in Beijing alone, accidents involving electric bicycles and tricycles caused the deaths of 113 people and injured over 20,000.

But banning them from the roads or limiting their routes, as some cities have tried to do, is simply counterproductive. Affordable and mobile, these vehicles have a huge market among both residents and express companies. Nor has imposing harsh punishments on rule-breaking users and controlling the production of electric bikes made any difference.