Last week, Billy Stokoe,19, was sentenced to six years and nine months in custody after fatally colliding into Gloria Stephenson, a great-grandmother aged 86, in Sunderland last year. Northumbria Police has urged the public to help out the force with local intelligence regarding similar cases of reckless motoring.
The force went on to say that many electric bikes, such as Stokoe’s Sur-Ron bike, are not road legal and can only be used on private land. Today in light of the events, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to people in Newcastle city centre to gauge their attitudes to the menace of such bikes.
David Atkin, 83, from Warwickshire, said: “They do need regulation in my view but that is probably dependent on having enough people to enforce it.”
David continued: “It is going to be hard to tackle because of drugs and alcohol.”
Christine Jamieson, 70, of Tynemouth said: “If they are not road legal, where are you supposed to ride them, what is their purpose? If that is the law they shouldn’t be on the road.”
Student Mateusz Filip, 26, said: “Sometimes honestly I am a bit jealous, if e-bikes were out when I was younger I would have had one. But sometimes it is scary, they can accelerate pretty quickly. It looks fun but can be dangerous in some areas.”
A Newcastle local, who spoke to the LDRS on condition of anonymity, said: “A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a police officer about the e-bikes in the council estates in the west end of Newcastle, there are quite a few of them there.
“They tear around at massive speed. I am also concerned about the delivery drivers on their e-bikes in the city centre, they tear around on the pavement and up on Northumberland Street. Something has to be done about it.”
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