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Birmingham police seize and crush man's legal e-bike

newsJul 21, 202622431

West Midlands Police seized and crushed Matin Zandi’s Tern GSD cargo e-bike, a £6,000 bike supplied by Birmingham City Council under a city pollution reduction scheme. Officers stopped a rider on 24 April and issued a fixed penalty notice for riding without insurance before seizing the bike during an operation targeting illegal electric motorbikes. Police tested the bike by lifting the back wheel and spinning the pedals, then noting the display showed a speed above the 15.5mph legal limit, but that test only measured how fast officers could turn the wheel rather than motor output. Bodycam footage showed Zandi telling officers the motor was not powering the wheel while it spun, but the bike was still destroyed. Birmingham Bike Foundry’s Sean Farmelo said the force had made a costly mistake and warned the action could deter people from using e-bikes; Wheels for Wellbeing called for better police education after the BBC found other legal bikes and mobility aids had also been seized and destroyed in error. Zandi faces penalty points and a fine and is taking the case to court with support from Birmingham Bike Foundry, Tern and Cycling UK. West Midlands Police said the seizure is the subject of a complaint that is being reviewed.

Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike
@gazza-d.bsky.social

Can you imagine the uproar if someone's legal car was seized and immediately crushed because some woodentop made a mistake? And the Police don't even apologise or accept they made a mistake. It's good to see this go mainstream. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

1866h ago
Quoting this
Jim Waterson138

Lol I just moved my kids around London on this exact bicycle at 25mph *because you can pedal faster than the motor* oh god e-bike policy is such a mess, even the police don't have a clue.

Tom Roberts73

God they are not sending their best

Disappointed Optimist70

Ok but hear me out: Do this, but for Meta glasses.

Laura G Mitchell19

Police looking for illegal ebikes seized and destroyed this person’s ebike… a Tern GSD (very much not an illegal ebike).

Katy11

...but are quite happy to run a flawed test to confiscate and destroy a legal cargo e-bike paid for by taxpayers! bsky.app/profile/gazz...

GeorgeWeeks20147

This is an extreme example of ignorant #motornormativity by the police. One for @ianwalker.bsky.social And I do wish the #BBC could be clearer in its terminology. A bike frame retroditted with a motor that will let it do 50 mph without pedalling is *not* an "e-bike". It's an electric motorcycle.

Quai2Saône7

La police de Birmingham confond un longtail GSD de @ternbicycles.com avec un faux vélo, le saisit et le détruit. 😱 Son propriétaire a pourtant tenté d'expliquer leur méprise aux policiers. Bon sang, un GSD ! Faut-il être ignorant ? 🤦‍♂️

Alex MacFarlane6

"The BBC has discovered this is one of several legal bikes - and even mobility aids used by wheelchair users - that have been seized and destroyed by police in error." Appalling!

Dave Cox5

Bizarre mistake West Midlands Police have a lot to learn about active travel glad that @cyclinguk.bsky.social are involved. But months slipping by with no @ternbicycles.com

Lizzie Crowdagger5

"The BBC has discovered this is one of several legal bikes - and even mobility aids used by wheelchair users - that have been seized and destroyed by police in error." Ptn

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