Sark and ride: electric bikes could be legalised

Tuesday 10 July 2018

After a controversial and unsuccessful attempt to legalise all electric vehicles in Sark, the island will now look at just allowing electric bicycles.

The decision to make a decision on the contentious issue of electric bikes was made at a recent meeting of Sark officials known as 'Conseillers' following a proposal by the island’s Road Traffic Committee (RTC).

Led by Conseiller Anthony Dunks, the RTC said it wanted to find out how Sark residents feel about allowing electric bikes in the island, asking officials to approve a public consultation on the issue. 

In the RTC’s original policy letter, delivered to Chief Pleas - the name for the Sark's parliament - at Easter, it said that there was a demand for the deregulation of electric bikes, with a number of Sark residents asking for the committee to look at this issue.

At present, the law prohibits the use of any motor vehicle on a public road aside from a tractor, an invalid carriage, a construction vehicle, or a combine harvester. However, Sark residents could see electric bikes added to this list of exceptions after the RTC were given permission to ask the public if this was something they would want.

Pictured: Sark's government has approved a proposition to put the somewhat contentious issue of deregulating electric bikes out to public consultation.

The RTC initially brought a proposal to find out the island’s appetite to change Sark’s current laws concerning vehicles earlier this year with a view to perhaps introducing electric cars, but this was thrown out. 

According to the RTC, the public consultation will take the form of “posters in the public boxes and on the Government website, as well as the distribution of a letter/questionnaire via house-to-house delivery.”

The initial work to survey the public will be minimal with the anticipated cost of the proposed consultation to "consist of the fee for the house-to-house mail shot plus some of the printing of the letter/questionnaire as well as collation time carried out by the Committee Office in handling the responses."

The Committee said that cost may increase "should the appetite be for a change" as it would then require "a further cost in drafting appropriate legislation, the cost of which is presently unknown."

Pictured: Under current law, Sark residents are not allowed to drive any motorised vehicle except tractors, invalid carriages, construction vehicles or combine harvesters.

Now permission has been given for the public consultation to go ahead, the Committee will have to return to Chief Pleas with a further report and recommendation "once it has collated and studied the responses." 

The Committee said it is aware that this proposal does not form part of the list of priorities set for 2018, acknowledging that any work that may arise from this proposal will have to be considered by the Policy Development Group.