Abstract
E-bikes regulation is a comprehensive urban traffic management, which connects all links and involves the participation of all interested parties. In Beijing, the E-bike governance has been changed from “prohibition” to “regulation”, which mainly concentrates on three aspects: product quality, registration for license plates, and management of non-standard vehicles. Product Catalog is an administrative guide demonstrating national standards that connect various regulation means: E-bikes should be qualified under the Catalog; the department of transportation manages the registration of electric bicycles and the application of license plates through the Catalog. Registration and license plates provide the transportation police with a means to effectively control the E-bikes running on the road. The transitional period of non-standard-vehicles is a beneficial attempt to balance the public’s well-being, government’s power, and citizens’ rights and obligations.

I. Introduction

In order to regulate traffic congestion and alleviate air pollution, Beijing has issued traffic control policies such as restricting the purchase of motor vehicles and prohibiting the use of motorcycles. The electric bicycle (hereinafter referred to as “E-bike”), standing out for being convenient, environmentally friendly, and cost-efficient, has been popular since it entered into the market. E-bike serves as an alternative means of transportation highly preferred by the public, especially the low-and-moderate-income population. As is estimated, there are roughly 4 million E-bikes in Beijing at present, with an average annual growth of 800,000 E-bikes.

However, the rise of E-bikes has brought about various management problems mainly centering around vehicles and riders.

On one hand, the majority of E-bikes fail to meet national standards. Among the E-bike models in the market, many have the problems of being overweight and over-speeding. Low-quality reflection devices below the national standard also pose major safety risks. According to the results of E-bike quality-monitoring announced by the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce on May 13, 2013, a total of 10 E-bike models were categorized as unqualified products; three other models did not meet the requirements of national standards though they were categorized as qualified products.

On the other hand, E-bikes have invoked traffic accidents with high mortality rates and noticeable violations of traffic rules. In 2004, the nationwide number of deaths in traffic accidents caused by E-bike was 589 and the number of injuries was 5,295. In 2013, the number of deaths surged to 5,752 and the number of injuries reached 29,010. During this decade, the number of deaths has increased by 8.8 times and the number of injuries has increased by 4.5 times. There are three types of common violations of traffic rules. First, the majority of E-bikes are not registered with license plates. A field research of E-bikes on the street of Beijing on May 24, 2012 showed that, of 296 E-bikes passing by in more than 40 minutes, only less than a quarter put on license plates. Second, many E-bikes surpass the speed limits. A research carried out at the intersection of East 3rd Ring Rd. and North Chaoyang Rd. in Beijing on the morning of November 29, 2013 showed that among the 68 E-bikes passing by in 10 minutes, 80% of them surpassed the national standard speed of 20 km/h. Third, E-bike riders generally lack sufficient knowledge of the traffic rules and are unaware of the related safety risks. Based on a questionnaire conducted by the Beijing Bicycle & Electric Vehicles Industry Association, 80% of the respondents did not know the correct answer to questions of riding speed limit. Meanwhile, the respondents failed to recognize the safety risks of charging E-bikes. In addition, an empirical study carried out in an intersection in Beijing showed that among the 222 E-bikes surveyed, 138 went through the red light, accounting for 62% of the total amount surveyed.

In this context, Beijing has introduced stricter regulations on E-bikes since the end of the last century. During the past decades, the regulations have been transformed from prohibitive policies to normative regulations.