“Nothing much we can do” to stop e-bike users – Traffic Chief

Electric bikes (or e-bikes) have become quite a trend among Guyanese people of all ages but it is also proving to be a deadly one with increasing fatal accidents involving e-bike users.
This has prompted many to question the Guyana Police Force’s Traffic Unit on their solutions for handling e-bike users on the roadways.

But Traffic Chief, Superintendent Ramesh Ashram in a recent “Police and You” programme, said that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is responsible for setting rules and regulations that govern the issuance of licences to motor vehicles. He said that once GRA establishes these rules and regulations, the Traffic Unit will take action to reprimand persons who violate the traffic laws while using electronic bikes.
“Since I took over traffic in August 2020, I had a meeting with GRA and GRA is the entity that has to register and classify motor vehicles and it is clear that any motor vehicle that [is] propelled by fuel, steam, or electricity should be registered. For now, what we are doing on the road when the Police are on the road, they will stop them and warn them to ride on the left-hand side,” the Traffic Chief explained.
Ashram also noted that he is hoping that the GRA would develop a system that deals with the electric bikes as soon as possible. Until then, there is nothing that the Traffic Unit can do as it relates to enforcing traffic laws on e-bike users.
He explained, “Children of any age, adults, and everybody are riding it. So, I am hoping, myself, that GRA implements the system early and issues a registration. When the registration is issued to these bikes, the Police could act on it, and based on the classification of the registration, we would be able to say whether you have to have helmet, you must have a licence, you must have fitness, insurance, and so on. But, as long as they are not registered, there is nothing much that we could do as it relates to enforcement and prosecution.”
Just two months ago, Retired Top Cop Nigel Hoppie had confirmed that Guyana Police Force and GRA were in discussion on regularising the use of electric bikes on the country’s roadways.

“The Guyana Police Force has engaged the GRA towards the implementation of rules governing their use… We’ve seen persons using these bikes, there is no age limit …we’re in discussion to ensure those things are regularised,” Hoppie had stated during the Police Officers’ Conference in March of this year.
Only Saturday evening, 67-year-old Karan Mahadeo of Lot 452 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was killed after his electronic bike collided with a water truck along Mandela Avenue.
Mahadeo’s wife told Guyana Times that he had only purchased the bike a few days prior. And according to one neighbour, she recently warned Mahadeo to be careful on the road with the bike after he seemed to be having trouble operating it.
Meanwhile, back in January, 71-year-old Carlon Windsor Barrett of Lot 32 (A) Victoria Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara was killed after his electric bike was crushed by a container truck.
It was reported that the truck carrying a 40-foot container laden with lumber, was proceeding on Water Street, Georgetown, and as it approached Muneshwer’s Limited, the driver said he was making a right turn when he felt the right-side rear wheel of the trailer run over something which caused him to stop. Upon investigation, he discovered that he had run over Barrett.
Last year, the Divisional Traffic Officer in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), where the use of electric bikes is prevalent on the roadways, had called for caution to be exercised by users of such cycles.
Assistant Superintendent Raun Clark, who was in charge of the region’s Traffic Department, had also expressed concern that there is no standard age range to use them since both children and adults are using the bikes.