SUBMISSION ID TP.43: HEALTHY DEVICES FOR ROAD SAFETY
Sohaib Hamdan Hasan
Jordan Traffic Institute JTI Email address [email protected] Mobile Tel.: 00962798798164
ABSTRACT
For the moment; I wanted to follow the flow and present a working paper on more legislation to enforce the law on the roads and modernize vehicles because most of recent legislation is working to modernize vehicles, increase their safety systems and find more modern technology to control roads.
But due to the increasing of traffic jams and traffic fatal accidents, increasing in both environmental and noisy pollution, increasing the diseases of obesity, cholesterol and lacking of fitness and the massive increasing of global demand toward the renewable energy sources; I have found that this is the time to talk about one of most suitable alternatives could be founded easily and with low costs to solve all of these problems mentioned above; it is Pedelecs or e-bikes which could be described as (19th century transportation devices with 21th century's technology). In this paper I will focus on the impact of Pedelecs on road safety and the obstacles that impede the spread of such devices in Jordan widely.
Finally by discussing the encourage of its use in Jordan and the special legislations needed for using Pedelecs into cities to resolve jams we find the recommendations which we can get from this paper to 8th Traffic Safety Conference/Jordan 2017 in Amman.
Keywords: Jordan, Pedelecs, Traffic Jams, Traffic Safety, Pollution, New Legislations.
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1. Introduction In these days we can hear most people in Jordan complain from traffic jams into cities which drain their times, powers, money and lead the drivers to a lot of bad and outrageous behaviors which cause huge numbers of traffic accidents every year in Jordan. Most jams occur due to the overload of vehicles on the street and by a quick survey we can see clearly that most vehicles into the jam are containing just one person: the driver. This phenomenon cause many problems in addition to the jams like problems of parking, traffic jams on sub-streets,….etc.
Due to the increasing of traffic jams and traffic fatal accidents, increasing in both environmental and noisy pollution, increasing the diseases of obesity, cholesterol and lacking of fitness and the massive increasing of global demand toward the renewable energy sources; I have found that this is the time to talk about one of most suitable alternatives could be founded easily and with low coasts to solve all of these problems; it is Pedelecs or e-bike. David Bailey, professor of industrial strategy at the Aston Business School wrote that "e-bikes are going to become popular in cities","A lot of city authorities are concerned about pollution so we will see more e-bikes around," he said. "There are a few companies already doing it. They are trying to show they are environmentally friendly but also, in some cities, it is no longer possible to drive to the centre of town in a car." He added.
This Paper will highlight on this possible solution for these traffic problems in Jordan and Middle East countries. But because the most of developed countries around the world started using such kind of devices from many years ago, this paper will focus on the ability of its use in Jordan, its feasibility and the requirements needed to make its use in Jordan Safe.
1.1 Pedelecs; Definition and technical description (Pedal Electric Bikes).
Pedelecs shortly (from pedal electric cycle) is a bicycle where the rider's pedaling is assisted by a small electric motor; thus it is a type of low-powered e-bike and also known as booster bike which is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor which can be used for propulsion. Pedelecs is also supported with a buttery recharged by pedal itself. Most electric bikes work a different way. They have compact electric motors built into the hub of the back or front wheel (or mounted in the center of the bike and connected to the pedal sprocket). E-bikes are the electric motor-powered versions of motorized bicycles, which have been around since the late 19th century.
Fig.1 Photo: Left: The hub motor of an electric bike with its workings revealed! Sep 14, 2016
In addition; The Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2051 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end of Pedelecs definition the following: "low-speed electric bicycles" The Pedelecs specified mainly depending on its motor capability and thus its speed:
250W = Pedelec speed up to 25km/h.
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400W = Pedelec speed up to 45km/h.
And there are Pedelecs with motor capability 350W, 500W, 750W and 1000W. So; If the bicyclist is pedaling, he can go as fast as he is able to pedal it. Most bikes stop providing electric assist while pedaling at 20 mph. Some will provide assist going at speeds up to about 28 mph. In some mountain countries like Switzerland; it is allowed to use Pedelecs with 1000W motor capability. Some Pedelecs sprint from 0 to 50 km/h reaches only 7.5 seconds. 75 km/h. But all are controlled to be not exceeding 65 km/h in most countries around the world.
In the same time there are two styles of propulsion methods:
1. Pedelec or pedal assist.
Fig.2 Level of assistance
Fig.3 The pedal assisted bicycles let the bicyclist adjust the level of assistance that he isgoing to receive as he pedal.
2. Power on demand or throttle based.
Fig.4 The pedals and the motor are independent of each other so you can pedal as much or as little as you like. The more pedaling, the greater the speed and the longer the range.
This paper to talk about Pedelec or E-bike because Pedelec or E-bike is much different from an electrical throttled bike, electric motorcycle or moped.
While Pedelecs are not nearly as heavy as a motorcycle or moped, most ebikes weigh in excess of 50 pounds while the traditional bicycle weighting 10 pounds! Thus a faster ebike would have to have better brakes.
Typical Pedelecs are designed to be easy to pick up and carry onto trains and busses -even airplanes- if the battery is under 300 watt hours. The batteries are the most important parts of the Pedelecs, typical electric bike batteries make about 350–500 W of power – 35 to 50 volts and 10 amps. The weight of battery doubles the Pedelec weight, so That tends to rule out heavy lead-acid batteries like the ones that start cars. Lightweight lithium-ion batteries, similar to those used in laptop computers 3 and mobile phones, are now the most popular though they're more expensive than older rechargeable battery technologies such as nickel-cadmium ("nicad"). Typical batteries give Pedelecs a range of 10– 40 miles between charges (depending on the terrain) and a top speed of 10–20. The range can be extend by pedaling or free-wheeling some of the time but using power all the time limits the range (typically 16–30km or 10–20 miles) and with Power-assist in pedal-assist bikes gives much greater range (as much as 80–145km or 50–90 miles) depending on the terrain.
Most e-bikes come in two flavors - one for use by commuters and one as a commercial bike for couriers. Both are linked to a Smartphone app that provides step-by-step navigation. The Copenhagen Wheel can be attached to most ebikes and contains an onboard computer, battery, sensors and motor which respond to the rider's pedaling behavior. An accompanying app allows cyclists to control the level of power assistance, track their journey and share data with other users.
1.2 Evolution of Pedelecs historically.
There were real attempts to make Pedelecs from 1895 as shown bellow and these attempts had developed gradually to make the modern design of Pedelecs.
Fig.5 E-bikes are the electric motor-powered versions of motorized bicycles, which have been around since the late 19th century.
Fig.6 There are several shapes for the personal Pedelecs. This Picture shown the common design of Pedelecs. Picture by kind permission and courtesy of Richard Masoner, published on Flickr under a Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) licence.
These days; Pedelecs are one of preferable transportation in developed countries. For instance, Europe and China.
In the last five years the Electric bike sales have grown far faster than the sales of any other mode of transportation in the world especially in China, from a modest 150,000 units sold in the late 90s to more than 20 million today. That’s three times as many as the most optimistic projections for cars sales in China for the near future. And worldwide e-bike sales in 2010 estimated to be 24 million. About 300,000 in USA, about 700,000 in Europe, 1.2 million in India, Japan and Taiwan, and 21.6 million in China!
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Chart1 left, and Chart2 right.
Chart3: Electric bicycles are rapidly becoming popular. This chart shows the growth in sales of what the manufacturers refer to as "electric power-assisted cycles (EPACs)" in European countries over the last decade. Over a million electric bikes were sold in Europe in 2014 alone, which is about 6 percent of total European bicycle sales. What this chart doesn't reveal is that the bikes are much more popular in some countries than others: three countries accounted for almost three quarters of all the sales (Germany, 42 percent; the Netherlands, 20 percent; and Belgium, 11 percent). Data sourced from the report "European Bicycle Market: 2015", courtesy of CONEBI (Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry).
Chart.4 Electrical bicycle sales volume in Germany
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2. Pedelecs; Pros and Cons.
2.1 Pros of Pedelecs:
Are one of the world's favorite forms of transportation. In the time; Pedelecs are environmentally friendly transportation. They are Simple, convenient, cheap, and economical because they have all the convenience of cars with all the simple economy of ordinary cycles.
2.1.1 Exercise: is necessary in our lives. According to an encouraging new study of bicycle commuting; the researchers asked about majority of people never exercise, most people offer the same two excuses — they don’t have time to fit exercise into their lives or they aren’t fit enough to undertake exercise. So for the new experiment, which was published recently in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, decided to see what would happen if they gave a group of out-of-shape men and women zippy electric bikes and suggested that they begin riding to work. In assay published in BBC in July 6, 2016 6:00 am By Gretchen Reynolds with title "The Surprising Health Benefits of an Electric Bike" he said: an electrified bicycle might be a way to make exercise both tolerable and practical for us because the statistics show that, people who are physically active are much less likely than sedentary people to develop heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, depression, disabilities in old age, or to die prematurely.
2.1.2 Stay clear of heavy traffic and intersections: this is the best fit point for using Pedelecs for commuting. Pedelecs are good for city use, but really only city use because there is no need to stick in jams. In addition; they let the bicyclist breathe less fumes, don't emit much pollution, let him commute to work without being sweaty, and carry his groceries home up and down the hills without much effort. They make daily life a little more convenient without the wastefulness of a car. So after all, what use is a powerful car when you are stuck in traffic?
2.1.3 Economic and Coast: Electric bicycles are a mode of transportation that provides high levels of personal mobility at low cost. The improving of economic in China allowed many to buy e-bikes. Although most popular electric bikes range in price from $700 up to $3000; but apart from the reduction of e-bike prices over the years, gasoline prices rose and electricity prices in rural areas dropped, making e-bikes more competitive economically with alternatives like gasoline-powered scooters and cars.
2.1.4 Friend to environment: In comparison with other motorized vehicles, Pedelecs are good friend for environment. Pedelecs not emitting exhaust gases or noise.
According to a scientific study in Germany; the researchers found these Pros and Cons based on a sample of user opinions:
Convenient for daily exercise and for all ages as well as for relaxation, fun and joy. Less hard on knees and joints than riding a traditional bicycle. Reduce physical exertion and therefore sweating and spoiling the clothes. Won’t get hot riding up hills, won’t struggle riding in the wind. Make riding up steep slopes a breeze. Get to ride on sidewalks, through parks and in bike lanes. Don’t need a driver’s license to ride in most cases. More upright seating position than traditional bikes can reduce back and neck pain and also gives the rider a better perspective to watch for obstacles and cars.
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Cheaper and more environmentally friendly than driving a car, no insurance, no gas (1 mile on an e-bike costs just about half of one cent!). Thus, Pedelec is fuel savings easy to use for general work in the city. Helps you avoid rush hour. So it is faster in the city and save time. Can walk the bike if you’re in a state where driving would be irresponsible or dangerous. Get fresh air and a friendlier vibe from pedestrians and other bikers, more social than driving. E-bikes are harder to steal than traditional bikes because many require a key to operate and they are heavier to move. Parking is usually easier and faster on an electric bike than with a car but may be harder than with a regular bike.
2.2 Cons of Pedelecs:
Heavier than traditional bicycles. More expensive than most mid-grade traditional bicycles. Harder to move and carry up stairs. Expensive battery replacement (lead acid lasts a couple years ~500 cycles, lithium ion lasts three to five ~1,500 cycles). Capacity of its battery is limited and need long time to recharge. Tires get flats easier because the bikes are heavy 50+ pounds. Tires are harder to change, motors and controllers can cost more to fix than traditional bike tune ups less of a workout than riding a bike. Bad state of infrastructure (holes, humps, dirt and dirty holes etc.). The bicyclist is directly exposed to bad weather factors. No cargo space, only takes one to three persons as max. Bill Cummings the Director of Customer Service at EVELO Electric Bikes wrote: "You will be able to substitute the bike for a car in many situations. For folks that like to ride with a partner, the motor will even out abilities and let folks actually ride together."
3. Classification of Pedelecs into vehicles. Since the Pedelec is a bicycle provided with electrical motor to assist pedal, so that under federal law, an electric bike with a maximum assisted speed under 20 miles per hour or 25km/h can be sold as a bicycle, not a motor vehicle. But this is totally different from country to other. For example, Pedelecs are banned in Shenzhen, China but allowed in Beijing, China. Every state in the United States also has differing laws about registration, licence requirements, age requirements and restrictions on motor capability; even DC and Maryland have very different laws. In Europe and North America, electric bicycles may be prohibited in bicycle lanes and any bicycle paths specifically marked for "non- motorized vehicles only". Under New York state law, riders would need to register these as they would a motorcycle, moped, or car. But there’s no clear way to register them. Because of this regulatory patchwork, e-bikes are legal to sell as bikes anywhere in the U.S. but effectively illegal to ride in New York, since they can’t be registered as motor vehicles.
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European Union directive 2002/24/EC exempts vehicles with the following definition from type approval: "Cycles with pedal assistance which are equipped with an auxiliary electric motor having a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25 kW, of which the output is progressively reduced and finally cut off as the vehicle reaches a speed of 25km/h (15.5mph) or if the cyclist stops pedaling". Thus in most of EU countries e-bikes are classified as ordinary bicycles as long as the maximum nominal motor power output isn't more than 250 watts and the maximum performance speed of the vehicle when the engine is running is 25 km per hour.
In USA, The Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2051 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: "Low-speed electric bicycles" To become as bellow:
``Sec. 38. <
``(b) For the purpose of this section, the term `low-speed electric bicycle' means a two- or three- wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts (1 h.p.), whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 mph. ``(c) To further protect the safety of consumers who ride low-speed electric bicycles, the Commission may promulgate new or amended requirements applicable to such vehicles as necessary and appropriate. ``(d) This section shall supersede any State law or requirement with respect to low-speed electric bicycles to the extent that such State law or requirement is more stringent than the Federal law or requirements referred to in subsection (a).''.
That clearly means that Pedelecs can't be operated on a public highway unless the highway has been designated and posted for ATV use (usually a short distance between off-road trails).
4. Pedelecs under Jordan Traffic low. Under Jordanian Traffic Law No. (49) for the year 2008; "Any two or three-wheels vehicle equipped with an automatic engine, designed to transport people or goods and not designed in the form of a car, including the bicycles which provided with motors ( electric, gasoline,....etec) motors are considered as a motorcycles" This means that Pedelecs in Jordan need registration, license requirements, age requirements and restrictions on motor capability regardless their speed.
5. Experiences of other countries. In Europe which has one of the most stringent regulations in the world, concerning e-bikes. In Europe, in order to be classified as a regular bicycle (and not be subjected to taxes and more red tape), an e- bike has to have a motor capable of a maximum power of 250W, assisting the e-bike to a maximum speed of 25 km/h (15,53 miles per hour); and the motor will turn off for any faster speed. The speed of 25 km/h is a very decent speed within town when take in consideration that the average speeds of a car in London is 18 km/h (11 miles per hour). But in Europe the regulations are more limiting than anywhere else. In Canada for instance, electric motors for ebikes can have a maximum power of 500W (double what the European limit is), and assist the ebike to reach a maximum speed of 32 km/h (19,8 miles per
8 hour). The US federal laws set the same limit on speed, while the power of the motor can reach 750W. In other countries the limits are similar. In US, an article reposted recently by Cameron Newland about changes to California’s ebike laws with title: Governor Brown Signs California Electric Bike Bill into Law; Mr. Newland wrote: "According to the California Bicycle Coalition, Governor Jerry Brown has signed one of the United States’ most progressive electric bicycle laws, which allows 28MPH-capable electric bikes in bike lanes and allows low-power, pedal-assist electric bikes to use bike paths except when prohibited by local law". He added: "California is known to be somewhat ―environmentally friendly‖, so anything that they do immediately draw a lot of attention. Most states are content to sit back and wait until some other state tries a few things out, and then has their court system wrestle over the legality of recent changes. That way, the states that are waiting on the sidelines can save a lot of time and money if they let someone else set the legal precedents for any evolving issue". Newland added "The laws concerning ebikes still vary quite a bit from one state to the next (in USA), but…this recent clarification of ebike law in such a large and influential state is something that will likely help standardize laws across the US, and also advertise that it is now safe to start embracing ebikes as an alternative form of transport in those areas where they are appropriate".
Chart.5 This chart shows California agreeing with, and solidifying a legal trend in Federal law. Using PAS (applying power that is actuated by pedaling), can legally have power up to 28-MPH (45-km/h). But, using a hand-throttle, gives only legally apply power on a street ebike up to 20-MPH (32-km/h).
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Chart.6 U.S. E-Bike Law Status.
5.1 Pedelecs in countries Law:
Many countries have enacted electric bicycle laws to regulate the use of electric bicycles. Countries such as the United States and Canada have federal regulations governing the safety requirements and standards of manufacture. Other countries like the signatories of the European Union have agreed to wider-ranging legislation covering use and safety of their term EPAC (electric pedal-assisted cycles).
In Australia the e-bike is defined by the Australian Vehicle Standards as a bicycle that has an auxiliary motor with a maximum power output not exceeding 200 W without consideration for speed limits or pedal sensors. Each state is responsible for deciding how to treat such a vehicle and currently all states agree that such a vehicle does not require licensing or registration. Various groups are lobbying for an increase in this low limit to encourage more widespread use of e-bikes to assist in mobility, health benefits and to reduce congestion, pollution and road danger.
Eight provinces of Canada allow electric power assisted bicycles. In all eight provinces, e-bikes are limited to 500 W output, and cannot travel faster than 32 km/h (20 mph) on motor power alone on level ground. A power-assisted bicycle may be imported and exported freely within Canada without the same restrictions placed on auto-mobiles or a moped.
In China, e-bikes currently come under the same classification as bicycles and hence don't require a driver's license to operate. Previously it was required that users registered their bike in order to be recovered if stolen, although this has recently been abolished. Due to a recent rise in electric-bicycle- related accidents, caused mostly by inexperienced riders who ride on the wrong side of the road, run red lights, don't use headlights at night etc., the Chinese government plans to change the legal status of illegal bicycles so that vehicles with an unladen weight of 20 kg (44 lb) or more and a top speed of 30 km/h (19 mph) or more will require a motorcycle license to operate, while vehicles lighter than 20 kg (44 lb) and slower than 30 km/h can be ridden unlicensed.
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European Union directive 2002/24/EC exempts vehicles with the following definition from type approval: "Cycles with pedal assistance which are equipped with an auxiliary electric motor having a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25 kW, of which the output is progressively reduced and finally cut off as the vehicle reaches a speed of 25km/h (15.5mph) or if the cyclist stops pedaling.In most of EU countries e-bikes are classified as ordinary bicycles as long as the maximum nominal motor power output isn't more than 250 watts and the maximum performance speed of the vehicle when the engine is running is 25 km per hour.
Japan Electric-assisted bicycles are treated as human-powered bicycles.
In New Zealand, A power-assisted cycle is a cycle that has a motor of up to 300 watts. The law treats these as ordinary cycles rather than motorcycles. This means that it is not necessary to register or license them.
6. Pedelecs impact on traffic issues. Traffic problems and overly long commutes have been proved to have a significant economic and social impact on cities. According to the European Commission, congestion within the European Union costs about 100bn Euros each year. In Jordan and due to the yearly increasing of vehicles registered and the old streets which not able to meet this increasing due to the geographical nature of Jordan; the jams have become in most of streets in cities and most the day. This causes -in add to economic coast- waste in manpower and man time from 1-3 hours daily especially at rush hours. And this going to increase year by year to reaches for 3- 5 hours daily in 2020.
Vehicles Registered Ownership Year Population for 100K Vehicles of vehicles Table.1 illustrates the increase in people population and vehicles (1971- Vehicle/58 1971 26000 1.5 Million 1733.33 Persons 2016) in Jordan: 9.798 Vehicle/7 2016 1502420 15333.95 Million Persons
2000000
1500000
1000000
1502420 Chart.7 Increase the number of vehicles
1412817
1331563
1263754 1213882
1147258 for the previous ten years 1075453
500000 994753 905592
841933 0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2007 This data gives a good indicator about the depth of traffic issue problem in Jordan and using the pedelecs will be the best cheap and available solution for this issue.
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7. Pedelecs impact on road safety and decreasing the fatal accidents.
Where the Pedelecs are Cycles with pedal assistance which are equipped with an auxiliary electric motor having a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25 kW, of which the output is progressively reduced and finally cut off as the vehicle reaches a speed of 25km/h and this speed is exactly the same to the ordinary bicycle speed, thus the Pedelecs are considered as bikes. Here we will make a comparison between accidents with cars involvement and accidents with bicycles involvement.
2000
1500 ■ rammed
pedestrian ■ صدم 1000 مشاة تدهور 500 ■ downfall
0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
Chart.8 Car accidents with causalities according to the type of accident and the restricted speed limits in Jordan 2016.
5.40% 9.6% 11.75%
34.0% 56.5% 82.85%
تدهور دهس صدم حوادث الوفيات حوادث االصابات البليغة حوادث االصابات البسيطه
■ Simple causalities ■ Sever causalities ■ fatal ■ rammed ■ smash ■ downfall Chart.9 left & Chart.10 right. Car accidents with causalities according to the type of accident and its severity in Jordan 2016.
3000 Chart.11 Car accidents with 2500 causalities according to the type of accident and 2000 the province in صدم .Jordan 2016 مشاة 1500 تدهور
1000
500
0
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450 400 350 300 صدم 250 دهس 200 150 تدهور 100 50 0
Chart.12 Car accidents according to the type of accident distributed on day hours in Jordan 2016.
30
25
20 مشاة 15
سائق 10
5 راكب 0
Chart.13 Car fatal accidents according to the behavior of died person on the road distributed on day hours in Jordan 2016.
From charts above we see obviously that most accidents occurred in main cities and at rush hours during the people going back homes from their work. This means that through the low-speed areas and among jams the behaviors of drivers become bad and then causalities and fatalities occurred especially in run over –smash- accidents. This conducts to find suitable and easy available solutions. With compare these statistics to those from bicycles we find the following:
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Chart.14 Accident with bicycle involvement (with causalities). According to official statistics of 2012; 74,961 accidents with causalities and bicycle involvement occurred. 406 users of bicycles were fatal, 13,840 riders were severely and 60,423 slightly injured. In about 41% of accidents with bicycle involvement (police reported, accident with casualties), the cyclist is the main causer. Approximately 83% of registered accidents with casualties and involved bicycles occur at daylight respectively at dry road conditions. Major registered faults within this category of bicycle riders in 2012 were identified as ―wrong using road infrastructure" with almost 24% and "other driver's fault" with a share of 30%. More information about the accident situation involving bicycles is not available in official statistics. Therefore an in-depth-analysis was done. The analysis of the GIDAS database chart.14 above, confirmed the interpretation of this official statistics by using the detailed specification of accident types. It is seen that the most common accident type are conflicts while crossing with a share of approximately 44% of these registered accidents. In addition 17% are characterized as cornering conflicts and 10% as accidents in longitudinal traffic. This is shown in It is evident from chart.15 bellow, the highest share of accident causing situations with bicycle involvement and casualties are the accident type ―Intersection, privileged cyclists from right on bicycle path‖ (but contrary direction of travel) coded as 342 with approximately 16%. Within this category the cyclists which used (often irregularly) the pedestrian walkways were neglected.
Chart.15 Type of accident – subtypes.
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So the question is: Did a higher distribution of Pedelecs results in more severe accidents?
Few studies had done in this field, one of them in Germany and aims to estimate with a pessimistic approach the impact of pedelecs (assumed higher speed than bicycles) towards the traffic accidents severity in Germany for different penetration rates. At this time, no reliable figures about the level of possible impact to accident situations are available but a first approach could be to analyze the traffic accident situations involving conventional bicycles with comprehensible assumptions respect to pedelecs.
So, at this time and according to scientific studies and official statistics it isn’t easy to answer this question with available facts. Existing completed studies usually show only consequences of single events with involved e-bikes for example the result of collision between passenger car and Pedelec with the maximum supported speed (25kph in case of a pedelec and 45kph in case of a speed- pedelec). A completed study which analyzed pedelec accidents of German in-Depth Accident Study (GIDAS) Database in detail gives first results regarding pedelecs in real accident situations. A small number of pedelecs accidents (sample size of n=30) were available for the study and analyzed. As result, no higher frequent occurrence of serious injuries in comparison with bicycle accidents was found. And according to experts, the limited speed and power of electric bikes makes them much safer than motorcycles or even cars in many situations.
Other German study by Von Dietmar Otte, Thorsten Facius, Christian Muller/ Feb. 2014 with title: Verkehrsunfall und fahrzeugtechnik = Traffic Accidents and Vehicle Technology aims to compare Pedelecs in road traffic accidents and to conventional non-motorized bicycles. This study is dealing with the accident situation (accident type, demographic data of drivers, collision partner, collision speed, damage of two-wheeler, injury severity) of motor-assisted pedal cycle (Pedelecs/E-Bikes), especially the comparison to the accident situation of conventional two- wheeler. Therefore the accident data of 30 injured drivers of motor-assisted pedal cycle, involved in an accident, was analyzed and compared to the accident data of 4514 bicyclists, involved in an accident. The accident data collected by a scientific research team for the GIDAS project (German In- Depth Accident Study) from the years 2005 up to and including 2013 were used as data basis, whereas the first traffic accidents with Pedelecs occurred in 2010. This study was shown that injuries did not occur more often or more serious in Pedelec accidents.
According to a study in Germany (Pedelec-Naturalistic Cycling Study) by Overall Association of the German Insurance Industry, "The investigation could show that pedelec users compared to cyclists are not subject to any increased safety risk. Pedelec25 were slightly faster in the road traffic than classic bicycles when the age of the participants taken into consideration. The situation was different for pedelec45 users, which achieved significantly higher speeds reached as a cyclist. However, this did not happen in any group with an increased number of critical situations. Younger pedelec users also got higher speeds than older subscribers, which are the main user group of pedelecs represent. Their speed is with the speed of older ones Cyclists. In general however the different speed, the users of different vehicle types and age groups with the (Electric) bicycle did not affect traffic safety". This study expects: Under the current technical and legal framework; Pedelecs is currently not a particular problem for traffic safety. To this extent, there seems to be no question of the legal framework in Germany. The study added that the requirements such as helmet and light for Pedelec45 basically understandable. And as a one of accidents causes is the behavior of other road users against the Pedelecs, that is what always alleged that drivers of Pedelecs suddenly appears much faster than expected, it may be too Conflicts.
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8. Feasibility of Pedelecs in Jordan. According to official studies in Germany and China; the electric bicycles, so-called Pedelecs, have been gaining in popularity for several years and their number will continue increasing in the coming years (ZIV, 2013a). With the growing spread of this new form of mobility there is a real need to study its feasibility in Jordan for road transport in cities.
Actually from the official Jordan statistics; the Pedelecs could be the fit solution for the traffic problems in Jordan. Especially the Pedelecs –according to studies- have no impact on the traffic safety. Furthermore Pedelecs are open, whether for young men or older as the main user group of transport (Alrutz, 2013). The operational cost of Pedelecs is reach to be around 0JD, and in quick account for fuel consumption in Jordan; the Pedelecs are suitable choice to reduce the general budget deficit. Due to the growth of demand on Pedelecs; Pedelecs are available in several models which meet all kinds of Pedelecs usage.
Fig.7 Pedelecs desgined as a commercial Ebike to carry goods & for couriers. Fig.8 Ebike-pooling design for two or three riders.
There are also E-pikes for mountain. These Mountain E-Bikes have air suspension and their weight is around 13-17 Kg.
Possibility to improve Pedelecs: Jordan is a sunny country, this gives the Jordan engineers the ability to manufacture new mode of Pedelecs called Solec Bike (Solar Electric Bike) or E-sun bike. Batteries of these Pedelecs are rechargeable by solar cells fixed on Pedelecs as a gage. This gage used for generating the electricity and to make the bicyclist safer by protecting him from the direct sun rays, rain and waste water on the road.
Fig.9 In same shape we can design Pedelec with battery recharged by Solar Energy.
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9. Recommendatins:
Pedelecs are one of popular forms of mobility around the world. In Jordan, this kind of road transportation nearly is not found. This paper to present the Pedelecs as an ideal substitute for cars and a good solution for traffic problems in Jordan especially the increasing in fatal accidents and traffic jams.
This paper shows the urgent need for the following points:
Hold a committee to study the Pedelecs issue, the Possibility of their succeeding in Jordan and the obstacles of their using in Jordan. The suggested obstacles that could meet the committee are:
A- The need to change people attitudes about vehicles. I did a survey about the Pedelecs in Jordan. My study consists of all Pedelecs I could reach and they were 13, 12 of them where for foreign workers and just one Pedelec in Shafa Badran for Jordanian juvenile was living in US before. Most Jordanian look at Pedelecs as a vehicle for entertainment but not for transportation and find difficulty in cease the using his car because this make him feel in shame and could harm his prestige. Media may be the perfect tool to change such convictions
B- The need to update roads infrastructure.
C- The need to update the current legislations.
D- The need to update the road network to be proportional to Pedelecs. Ideally, pedestrians, heavy vehicles and light vehicles (such as e-bikes) should not share the same territory. Each should have its on lanes/streets and so you need to think about a 3rd party insurances seriously.
F- Work to improve its efficiency to be appropriate for consumer requirements.
Encourage their use in Jordan. This could Easley happen by government by:
- Enforcing special legislation for using Pedelecs into cities to resolve jams. For instance, determine certain places on the main entrances for cities controlled by government itself to be used as cars retention areas for all cars with one passenger -the driver- where the driver can borrows a Pedelec freely and he then returns back the Pedelec just once he has completed his work in the city. This will encourage the car-pooling method in using cars and as a result the traffic jams and accidents into cities.
- Tax exemption. Pedelecs should be supported by the government in Jordan to become cheap and within the Jordanians reach.
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References:
Katja Schleinitz, Luise Franke-Bartholdt, Tibor Petzoldt, Stefan Schwanitz, Tina Gehlert, Matthias Kühn, "Pedelec-Naturalistic Cycling Study" Overall Association of the German Insurance Industry e. V. Research Report No. 27. On behalf of the accident research of insurers (UDV). Edited by: Chemnitz University of Technology.
Joerg Moennich, Thomas Lich, Andreas Georgi, Nora Reiter, "Did a higher distribution of Pedelecs results in more severe accidents in Germany?" 2014-P-0001-ESAR-Conference_Bosch, Robert Bosch GmbH, Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering Vehicle Safety and Assistance Systems (CR/AEV1). Stuttgart.
Bernd Huppertz, " Classification of electric vehicles" PVT Police traffic + technology 3/11 (update) March 2011.
Two-wheeler industry association e.V.
Diana Schmukal, Internal Study, Diploma thesis. Robert Bosch GmbH, November 2012, November 2013 Update by Jörg Mönnich.
German Insurance Association Accident Classification System Accident type catalog: Guidelines for the determination of the type of accident Information of the Institute of Road Traffic ISSN 0724-3693, 1998
Chemnitz University of Technology, "Natural driving study of pedelec user, Cognitive and Engineering Psychology" Project "Freiluftlabor 'New Mobility' at the Sachsenring"
China’s cyclists take charge, June 2005, IEEE Spectrum.
The future of electric two-wheelers and electric vehicles in China, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, CA, USA, Energy Policy.
The Transition to Electric Bikes in China: Effect on Travel Behavior, Mode Shift, and User Safety Perceptions in a Medium-Sized City, Weinert, Ma, Yang, Cherry.
The Transition to Electric Bikes in China: History and Key Reasons for Rapid Growth.
Von Dietmar Otte, Thorsten Facius, Christian Muller, "Traffic Accidents and Vehicle Technology" Feb. 2014. And "Pedelecs in the event of an accident and compared to conventional non-motorized two- wheelers".
David Bailey, professor of industrial strategy at the Aston Business School, BBC report.2014.
A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Gretchen Reynolds, Assay published in BBC online in July 6, 2016 6:00 am.
Bill Cummings, the Director of Customer Service at EVELO Electric Bikes, International Mountain Bicycling Association. 2015. https://www.imba.com/
Cameron Newland, " Governor Brown Signs California Electric Bike Bill into Law". BBC report.2015.
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Team of electric-bicycle-guide,"What's the difference between pedelecs and e-bikes?" Available: http://www.electric-bicycle-guide.com/pedelec.html.
Jordanian Traffic Law No. (49) for the year 2008.
Chris Woodford," Electric bicycles", http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electricbikes.html, last updated: September 14, 2016.
Wikipedia, "Electric bicycle laws" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_bicycle_laws#United_States.
"State Electric Bicycle Laws | A Legislative Primer" 12/28/2016 http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/state-electric-bicycle-laws-a-legislative-primer.aspx
"Annual Report for Traffic Accidents in Jordan 2016", Jordan Traffic Institute JTI. 2017
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