Face obscured by a balaclava and dressed top-to-toe in black, the rider mounts the pavement and begins, at speeds of over 20mph, to weave in and out the throng of city centre workers on their lunchbreak and families strolling in the sunshine.
With just the gentle whirr of the e-bike’s battery-powered motor to serve as a ‘warning’, the startled pedestrians are forced to stop in their tracks or jump out of the way as the rider whooshes by.
No, it’s not a scene from a Hollywood action move. This is real life.
For these illegal riders are a common sight on Scotland’s roads (and more often pavements) – and they are turning our city streets into pedestrian no-go areas.
The vehicles – pedal bikes propelled by a battery-powered motor – soared during the pandemic as more and more people began using couriers to have food delivered to their homes.
Many riders in Scotland’s city centres seem oblivious to shoppers and families
However, when Lockdown ended and people returned to Scotland’s city centres, they found the streets crowded with e-bikes.
Many of the bikes have been illegally modified to travel at speeds exceeding the 15.5mph legal limit they should be stopped from going over.
It’s now estimated there are a massive 10,000 cyclists operating as fast food couriers in Scotland.
The hi-tech vehicles have been involved in a raft of incidents of anti-social behaviour, accidents and breaches of the law, with concerns it is only a matter of time before they claim their first life.
Just weeks ago, a 16 year old girl was rushed to hospital in Edinburgh after she was stuck by an e-bike while walking in the city.
Luckily, she escaped serious injury, although her mother later made clear it was a ‘scary’ experience that had left her shaken.
However, despite howls of protest from politicians, pressure groups and disgruntled members of the public, efforts to crack down on their illicit modification and illegal use are slow paced.
The situation has infuriated campaign group Living Streets Scotland which aims to encourage more people to walk rather than get in their cars
Social media is awash with complaints from angry members of the public – many of whom have captured images and footage of riders risking their own lives and those of others around them.
Their illicit adaptation aside, the riders of the e-bikes are frequently seen flouting the rules of the road, riding through red lights, veering on and off pavements as and when they choose and travelling in the wrong direction.
Despite these infrignements being a commonplace sight, new figures show less than 70 e-bikes and 30 e-scooters have been seized in the course of the last two years by police in Scotland.
The low number seems at odds with the frequency of complaints about the issue and the seriousness of the safety risk they pose.
The situation has infuriated campaign group Living Streets Scotland which aims to encourage more people to walk rather than get in their cars.
The group’s concern is that if people can’t use the country’s pavements and pedestrian areas safely, they won’t choose to.
Anne Doherty, the organisation’s Acting Co-Director, said: ‘Pavements are for people, but more and more people are using e-scooters and e-motorbikes on them.
‘The speed and acceleration of these vehicles can cause alarm, especially when they are used on pavements. They also pose a particular danger to some pedestrians, such as children, disabled people and those living with sight loss.
‘Riding e-scooters on the pavement and public roads is already illegal, but the law needs to be better enforced and community policing should be properly resourced.’
And it doesn’t take long to see exactly how bad the situation has become.
During the course of a day our reporter witnessed numerous riders on high-powered bikes and scooters dangerously weaving in and out of crowds and speeding along pavements in Glasgow city centre.
Dozens were observed as they flew down the city’s busy Buchanan Street at speed. Meanwhile, those driving in the other direction, up the street’s moderate incline, showed none of the mild exertion needed by those on foot, their bike engines taking the strain, and the drivers sitting upright enjoying the ride.
Most had brightly coloured bags on the back of their bikes, carrying takeaway food from city centre outlets to customers.
But while pedestrians waited patiently for a ‘green man’ to indicate it was safe to cross a road, or buses and taxis likewise waited at a red light until they could proceed, no such obligations were on the mind of some of the e bike riders.
Only a few minutes’ observation were required last week in order to see bikes flying through a red light, a clear danger to themselves and other road users.
Meanwhile, two riders stopped and parked up in the middle of the pedestrianised stretch for a chat, showing a complete lack of self awareness, and blocking off the centre of the road to others.
Elsewhere in the centre of Scotland’s biggest city, it’s a similar picture. While pedestrians proceeded with caution, and car and bus drivers poked out from junctions, aware of the need to maintain vigilance at every junction in the dense gridiron roads layout, it was a different picture for the e bike riders. Seemingly oblivious to danger, the bikes scooted round corners, shoppers having to make way or else.
In a short pedestrianised stretch of Gordon Street, another busy stretch just a few yards from the entrance to Central Station, it was a similar story, with e bike riders motoring in and out of shoppers and pub and restaurant goers, in a new and unwanted addition to the cityscape.
Such is the furore in Glasgow, that residents have called for it to be compulsory for e-bikers to wear identifiable numbers so they can be traced in the event of an accident.
Merchant City and Trongate Community Council (MCTCC) argues the move is necessary because of the number of collisions and near misses reported over the past few years.
The organisation said the e-bikers ‘are predominantly food delivery drivers working on behalf of companies’ using bikes that ‘are often not fitted with a speed limiter, restricting them to the UK’s legal maximum level of 15.5 miles per hour’.
The situation plays out in towns and cities across Scotland, with the number of e-bikes set to increase further amid a lack of proper enforcement or regulation.
Electric bikes – legally termed Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPCs) – can be ridden by anyone over the age of 14.
They do not require a licence and do not need to be registered, taxed or insured.
But the power of the motor must not exceed 250W and the engine can only be used to assist a rider who is actually pedalling.
If it meets this criteria, an EAPC is classed the same as a normal pedal bike and can, therefore, be ridden on cycle paths and public roads.
However, e-bikes can be customised so the engine is controlled by a throttle, meaning the rider doesn’t need to pedal.
Such a modification effectively turns the machine into an electric motorbike, which legally requires a rider to have a driving licence and crash helmet.
In the case of e-scooters, which are recognised as ‘powered transporters’ and, therefore, like motor vehicles, require MOT, tax, licensing and specific construction.
However, because e-scooters don’t always have visible rear red lights, number plates or signalling ability, they can only be used on private land and not on public roads, cycle lanes or pavements.
Earlier this year Police Scotland stated that the issue of illegal e-vehicles and ‘dangerous riding’ in Glasgow city centre ‘was identified as a top road safety concern’, with police receiving complaints directly from the public and other sources.
During just two days of enforcement action, between October 27 and 29 last year, in the city police seized 12 illegal e-bikes and five e-scooters and charged all the riders with road traffic offences. This included eight instances of failing to stop at red lights.
The sheer number of complaints and footage being shared on social media suggests the seizures made in Scotland are just the tip of the iceberg.
IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said: ‘Modified e-scooters and e-bikes can cause serious injury or death and their rise in use can be largely attributed to poor levels of enforcement. While we need to see a step-change in how we police these devices, we also need an urgent review of regulations.
‘Shockingly, more than half of all casualties involving e-scooter users are outside of trial areas, which demonstrates the “wild west” nature of misuse that is happening on our roads and pavements.’
So common is the use of these electric-powered vehicles that police in Glasgow even had to seize one from a rider doing the school run on an e-scooter.
In that instance, neither the rider nor their passenger – presumably a child – were wearing helmets.
Responding to the issues raised, Police Scotland said anyone with concerns about e-vehicle misuse in their community should contact officers.
A spokesman said: ‘Antisocial behaviour while using e-vehicles will not be tolerated. Both community and road policing officers will tackle issues in local areas.’
He added: ‘E-vehicles are subject to the same legal requirements as any other motor vehicle. They must be insured and drivers must have a valid driving licence.’