The owner of a Norwich e-bike shop has blamed misleading press coverage of e-bikes, and the Panorama episode fronted by Adrian Chiles in particular, for a drop-off in trade that has resulted in his shop’s closure. Mark Watkin opened e-Velo in Halesworth, Suffolk, in 2015 and subsequently expanded into premises in the Royal Arcade in Norwich last summer. However, both shops have now been forced to close. Watkin said that alarmist media coverage of e-bikes had played a significant part.
I think e-bikes on bike paths are a good thing, because it forces local councils to actually provide large bike paths, free of obstacles and separated from pedestrians.
I’m from Italy and bike paths are always so narrow and horrible that my only hope is in e-bikes to force a change.