North China city requires real-name registration for electric bikes

TAIYUAN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Taiyuan, capital of northern China's Shanxi Province, has joined a number of Chinese cities requesting that electric bikes have to be registered under real names.

According to a new guideline, effective from May 1, 2018, electric bike riders must acquire a driving license and plate number to drive their bikes on the road.

Any violation of traffic rules will incur a fine or penalty points, according to the guideline.

There were about 250 million electric bikes running on the streets in China as of mid 2017, of which 50 million were electric tricycles, according to data from the Chinese Cycling Association.

The huge number of electric bikes has caused a series of traffic problems, as many are driving against traffic rules.

A traffic policeman in Taiyuan told Xinhua that traffic accidents caused by illegal driving of electric bikes were on the rise, and it was hard to give penalties due to lack of relevant regulations.

To solve the issue, a number of Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen, have published similar guidelines for electric bikes.

Shenzhen launched a strict campaign targeting illegal electric bike driving in December last year. Riders that run a red light, travel without a helmet or drive on the wrong side of the road will receive a fine. The campaign has greatly improved traffic order.

"Many of the electric bikes on the streets are safety hazards," said Yang Xinmiao, professor with Tsinghua University. "The real-name registration system will help standardize production of electric bikes and improve traffic order." Enditem