Clear Industry Voice

The Bicycle Association works to ensure the cycling industry has a voice at the highest political level, ensuring member business interests are represented.

The Future 
is Electric

The BA predicts that the electric bike market with triple in the next three years. The range of e-bikes continues to expand as the notion of e-bikes as heavy and cumbersome is dispelled. Alongside this, the opportunities for e-cargo transport continue to grow.

The BA works to ensure that the benefits of e-bikes and e-cargo are recognised at all levels of Government. Since 2008, van mileage has increased by a fifth, and vans now make up about 15% of traffic and cause over 30% of NOx and particulate emissions. Electrically-assisted cargo bikes offer a solution to the van problem. They take up less road space, are zero-emission, and are less intrusive than vans in city centres.

Fully Charged: The BA helped Government to administer the eCargoBike Grant scheme, a £2 million fund available to support organisations with the purchase of eCargo bikes for business use.

Bike Shops Essential
and Open

In the lead up to the first lockdown in March 2020, the bicycle industry was understandably nervous. People had been urged to stay at home, work from home, and travel only in emergencies or to get groceries. The list of ‘non-essential’ retailers that had to close was long. Thanks to BA advocacy to key decision-makers, bike shops weren’t on that list. The BA lobbied the Governments in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure that the value and essential nature of bike shops was recognised. Bicycle retailers were deemed essential and allowed to stay open, to sell, service and repair bikes.

Bikeability

Knowing that the path to a lifetime of cycling enjoyment begins in childhood, the BA played a prominent role in lobbying Government to extend funding for Bikeability training to all children. Our research shows that if children don’t learn to ride by age 11, they probably never will. In April 2021 the Department for Transport committed to fully funding Bikeability by 2025, which will allow every child in England to learn to ride their bikes safely and well.

The BA's Technical Service in 2020

One of the Bicycle Association's core services is its technical department, available to all members as part of their BA membership.

As well as providing membership-wide updates with early intelligence on all regulatory, product safety and compliance matters, our technical service also provides helpful one-on-one support if members need more direct assistance.

2020 was the busiest year yet for the BA's technical staff in the run-up to the end of the Brexit transition period. Key topics included:

Brexit:

We provided members with rapid information on future tariffs and procedures, including many detailed aspects such as GSP tariffs and Rules of Origin. Plus, guidance on the UKCA mark and post-Brexit product safety compliance, trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and on the funding available to help companies prepare.

Anti-dumping:

We kept members fully informed through the DIT review process as they considered whether to terminate or retain these measures against Chinese bikes, parts and e-bikes.

Standards' development:

BA experts participated actively at UK, European and World level and provided regular updates to members. Despite some COVID delays, Standards work in 2020 focused on the revision of ISO 4210 for normal bikes, EN15194 for e-bikes and the start of work on a new EN standard for cargo bikes. This work is important in keeping technical staff at BA member companies up to date on the detail, a vital safeguard against possible future liability risks and so that any upcoming changes can be anticipated well in advance.

Future regulations:

The BA monitors developments at European level closely, as these will inevitably continue to affect member companies, and influence UK legislation, even after Brexit. A key topic was moves by the European Commission which could have resulted in e-bikes becoming subject to type approval, and the BA participated actively with colleagues at the EU cycle industry trade association umbrella body CONEBI to avert this.

E-bikes legalised in Ireland:

There was welcome news in May that e-bikes had been fully legalised in Northern Ireland. The BA had been in touch with NI officials on this for several years.

E-scooters:

2020 saw growing sales of privately owned e-scooters (despite their use on the public highway still being illegal), and the announcement of rental trials. The BA proposed a possible future regulatory approach for private e-scooters to ensure safe participation in traffic alongside bikes and e-bikes. Our approach gained wide support and we participated in several consultations and were called to give oral evidence tot he Transport Select Committee.