GPF to educate traffic ranks on implementation of new e-bike law

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) will host a seminar with members of its Traffic Department on the newly passed motor vehicle and traffic law that seeks to regulate the use of electric bikes in Guyana.
The revelation was made by Deputy Commissioner of Police for Administration, Calvin Brutus as he engaged media operatives.
The National Assembly passed the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Amendment Bill of 2023 on May 10, after the Government proposed amendments to the legislation to regulate the use of e-bikes, which pose great danger on the roadways.
The Bill defines electric cycles as “any motorcycle that has an electric motor, and is fitted with an effective stopping system controlled by use of brakes, gears or motor control.”
“We’ll hold a seminar with all the traffic persons and the patrol ranks who will be responsible for enforcement and we’ll roll out all enforcement methods that are available to us,” the Deputy Commissioner relayed.
Following the seminar, implementation of the new law will be the next step and the Force will be working closely with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to ensure it becomes effective.
“It’s now a matter of implementing and making sure that all the regulations are in place, we will first have to work in partnership with the GRA to make sure that this aspect is first in place before our enforcement operation commence,” he stated.
With the new law, electric bikes are subject to the same rules and regulations as motorcycles, when it comes to registration and use. The implementation of the legislation will facilitate the registration and licensing of electric bikes.
Presently, an individual must be 16 years of age or older before he/she can apply for a provisional motorcycle licence and 17 years or older for a provisional motorcycle and car licence. An applicant needs to be 18 years of age or older for a car, van and motorcycle licence.
Section 33 (2) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act allows persons who are 16 years to drive motorcycles.
Consequently, the regularisation of electric bikes in Guyana will prohibit persons under the age of 16 to use this type of transportation.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn stated that the rapid emergence of electric bikes over the past years due to their availability and affordability warrants Guyana’s laws to address the use of e-bikes.
Benn disclosed that at the recent Guyana Police Force’s Annual Conference last month, a charge was given to the law enforcement agency to up its game on improving safety and reducing deaths, injuries and accidents on the country’s roads.
According to statistics, 11 persons have been killed and 14 injured from using e-bikes during the period 2021 to date. Last year alone, there were seven electric bike-related road fatalities recorded in Guyana and a few already in 2023.