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News > Press Release > BA complains to BBC about Panorama e-bike misrepresentation

BA complains to BBC about Panorama e-bike misrepresentation

The Bicycle Association has sent a formal complaint to the BBC about recent coverage of e-bikes and illegal e-motorbikes on the Panorama programme.

The Bicycle Association today submitted this formal complaint to the BBC:

 

Complaint: Panorama - E-bikes: the battle for our streets

Dear BBC,

I write for the Bicycle Association, the trade association for the UK cycle industry, representing ca 140 companies, including most of the reputable UK companies who supply safe, fully road-legal e-bikes. These companies include household names and well-known high-street retailers. You can view our full member list here.

We wish to register a formal complaint about the programme “Panorama - E-bikes: the battle for our streets” presented by Adrian Chiles, broadcast on BBC 1 on the 6th January 2025.

Our main concerns are:

  • The programme repeatedly conflates the safety and social issues surrounding the use of illegal e-motorbikes with “e-bikes” and fails to make it clear that these issues are overwhelmingly not caused by (road legal) e-bikes. This is compounded by the juxtaposition (without distinction) of footage of both illegal e-motorbikes and road-legal e-bikes, implying that they are one and the same. This misrepresentation is against the public interest and not fair or accurate (hence in breach of BBC editorial guidelines)
  • In the choice of “expert” – an enthusiast with a collection of illegal e-motorbikes, not road legal e-bikes  - the programme in effect promoted illegal e-motorbike use. No reputable road legal e-bike supplier or cycle industry representative was featured.  No fair balance or representation from the reputable e-bike sector was provided, also in breach of BBC editorial guidelines.
  • It is stated that the laws and regulations around e-bikes are unclear or insufficient. This is factually incorrect – the law is completely clear about what is or is not a road legal e-bike (EAPC). We have an info sheet on this and the Government guidance is also perfectly clear. Any electrically powered two wheeler that is not a road legal e-bike (EAPC), or a properly type approved and registered e-moped/e-motorbike, is an illegal e-motorbike. There are legitimate questions about the extent of enforcement of these rules, but the rules themselves are completely clear.    

The reputable UK cycle and e-bike industry fully supports all and any measures to enforce the current very clear legislation and to remove illegal e-motorbikes from our streets. We also call for reforms of the food delivery sector to address use of illegal e-motorbikes by delivery riders.

However, these issues are entirely distinct from the road legal e-bike category, which offers many health and mobility benefits for the general public, including many disabled people.

We consider that this programme has, by confusing these issues, both failed to properly inform the public and also unjustifiably damaged the road legal e-bike sector through misrepresentation.

We urge the BBC to:

  • Remove “E-bikes” from the programme title and instead reference “illegal e-motorbikes”.
  • In future programming on this subject, make it fully clear and properly inform the public that e-bikes and illegal e-motorbikes are two entirely separate categories.
  • Provide proper balance when addressing contentious transport issues, including featuring representation by responsible organisations in the sector.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Eland

Technical & Policy Director
Bicycle Association
www.bicycleassociation.org.uk

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