Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February to Question 150416 on Bicycles and Electric Vehicles: Safety, whether he plans for those regulations to include provision for the use of electric bikes operated with a hand throttle for people who are unable to use peddles due to disability.

The Second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in 2022, reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to making walking, wheeling and cycling the natural choice for millions more journeys. Equal access for disabled people is at the heart of this and the Department is keeping the prospect of changes to regulations on electric bikes operated with a hand throttle (known as “twist and go”) under review.

In the meantime, it may be helpful to clarify that twist and go e-cycles are legal to use on the roads provided that they have been through a “type approval” process to ensure that they comply with various technical standards.