Currently, e-scooters – which can travel at up to 15.5mph – are banned on roads and pavements in the UK.
Interesting point.
I'm becoming more aware of the difference in performance expected in different parts of the world.
If you read American reviews of cars, they often consider some cars sluggish while by European standards they would be more than enough.
Indian bike reviews often rave about the performance of bikes which seem a bit wimpy by European standards. The performance of a 90cc scooter can not by my metrics be descibed as 'Thrilling'.
Over in the UK we have some laws that really need changing.
A 50cc bike with a top speed of 30MPH might have been acceptable in the 1950's and the cars from that era would have not been a problem to the poor sod stuck with that speed limitation.
It is really hard to get a motorcycle licence, you really need to want one. Admittedly a full car licence allows you to drive a 50cc bike without 'L' plates, but apart from an emergency vehicle, why would anyone want to go on a road and contend with modern traffic with something like that.
If we assume that most people don't live in central London and might need to travel more than three miles then the solution is as follows:
Everyone over 14 gets a licence to drive a motorcycle (The French do it)
If we throw away this 50cc - 30MPH limit. Why not just say - 15HP or electric equivalent. It's not fun, but a 125 will work on a motorway as long as you tuck in behind a lorry.
Mr Honda decided that personal transport was a basic human right and set about to enure that became so. I agree with him. People use public transport because they have to, people use cars and bikes because they want to.
Most people don't really give a stuff about the environment or what fuel they use, they want something they can afford that does what they need it to do.
B.