On 6th January, the BBC broadcast an episode of Panorama called "E-bikes: The Battle for Our Streets", the contents of which Energise E-bikes, and also industry bodies such as the Bicycle Association and the Association of Cycle Traders, have objected to.
The below letter has been submitted as a complaint to the BBC:
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To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to express my concern regarding the recent Panorama episode, ‘E-bikes: The Battle for Our Streets’. While the program intended to raise awareness about safety issues, I found the lack of representation from reputable and legitimate e-bike retailers troubling and potentially misleading. Naturally, the safety of road users is the most important thing, but highlighting danger should not involve the misrepresentation of an important and fast-growing sector.
Up and down the UK, there are reputable retailers of electric bikes, many of which are independent, locally-owned small businesses. Each of these establishments helps to increase the amount of healthy, eco-friendly travel in their communities through the sale of safe and legal products. By not including interviews with credible e-bike retailers or industry experts – and instead speaking to a so-called “e-bike collector” - the program failed to present balanced information. Such imbalance can unfairly influence public opinion and undermine the efforts of responsible retailers who prioritise safety, respectful riding, and adherence to the law.
The negative portrayal of e-bikes without input from legitimate retailers may harm the industry, potentially affecting small businesses and employees reliant on this growing market.
You may also like to consider that the majority of two-wheeled vehicles featured in the episode were in fact not e-bikes at all, but ‘unregistered e-motorbikes’ which have been mis-labelled as ‘e-bikes’, firstly by unscrupulous retailers and secondly by the programme itself. There were very few legitimate e-bikes shown on-screen, which again is an imbalance that will hurt trustworthy electric bike businesses.
Repeated use of the phrase “illegal e-bikes” is misleading and damaging. Using this phrasing, or similar, could persuade members of the public that all e-bikes are illegal, when in fact the problem is “unregistered e-mopeds”. Finding a wolf in sheep’s clothing should not be a reason to attack sheep. Call a wolf, a wolf, and call an unregistered e-motorbikes, an unregistered e-motorbikes.
I kindly request that you consider these points and take steps to address the imbalance in future reporting. Providing a more balanced perspective, including input from reputable e-bike retailers, and using accurate language, will ensure a fair and informative presentation of the topic.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Ray Wookey
Founder, Energise E-bikes, Coulsdon.