The Land Transportation Office (LTO) plans to propose the mandatory registration of electric bicycles to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), agency chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza II disclosed in a public forum on November 29.
Currently, LTO Administrative Order No. 2021-039 (or the Consolidated Guidelines in the Classification, Registration, and Operation of All Type of Electric Motor Vehicles), allows for e-bicyles and e-mopeds with two wheels to be operated without registration or a driver’s license, provided their top speed does not exceed 50kph. Such electric two-wheelers that can run only up to 25kph (L1a category) require the rider’s use of a helmet that is “similar to those designed for bicycles,” while those able to go up to 50kph (L1b category) require a “motor protective helmet.”
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L1a e-bikes may be used on “barangay roads, bike lanes, and other similar lanes” and are “allowed to cross national roads or by other roads when barangays are separated by it,” while L1b e-bikes are “allowed to go beyond barangay roads to cover other local roads, provided that it will take the outermost part of the road adjacent to the sidewalk. It can pass main thoroughfares and national roads for purposes of crossing roads that have been divided by the aforementioned thoroughfares, but they should yield the right of way to incoming traffic.”
As reported by Philstar.com, however, the LTO wants to remove the registration exemption, citing road safety concerns especially in the event that an e-bike is involved in an accident. “There should be no speed limitation,” Mendoza said. “For as long as these vehicles are used [on] public roads, they should be registered.
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“We understand the side of the manufacturers and importers and the public, but the law is the law,” he continued, adding that unregistered e-bikes may be used only within subdivisions or on private roads if the LTO’s proposal is approved.
Under Administrative Order No. 2021-039, other electric-powered vehicles that don’t require registration or a license to operate are personal mobility scooters, electric mobility scooters, and electric three-wheelers with a top speed of 25kph (L2a category).
Last month, the LTO announced that it will again strictly implement the ‘no registration, no travel’ policy after a review of data showed that 25.7 motor vehicles—or 65% of the total on the road—are unregistered, amounting to a revenue loss of P37.10 billion in registration payments and penalties. Should the mandatory registration of e-bikes be approved, it’s another measure for the LTO to enforce, in addition to its current issues with the driver’s license card shortage and the license plate backlog.
