LEVA-EU recently reported that as of October 1, candidates aiming to obtain a Category AM driver’s license will have the option to take the practical exam on a speed pedelec - as long as they live in the Flanders region of Belgium. The AM licence is generally more associated with being able to ride 28mph mopeds - electric or otherwise.
Whilst many European countries allow you to ride other vehicles once you have an AM licence - and that includes 28mph microcars like the Citroen Ami and speed pedelecs - Flanders appears to be the world's first (as far as ebiketips knows) in allowing you to actually take an AM licence test on a speed pedelec. As the LEVA-EU article states, "Previously, the Category AM exam required candidates to use a conventional scooter for testing."
The LEVA-EU article also notes: "One of the key highlights of this update is the introduction of examination manoeuvres specifically designed for speed pedelecs. This adjustment in the driving exam procedure is of significant importance, considering the accident statistics related to speed pedelecs."
Whilst there have been some high profile speed pedelec accidents in Belgium, ebiketips is not aware of the accident statistics LEVA-EU refers to above. Indeed, whilst e-bikes in general accounted for half of all Flanders cycling deaths as reported in 2022, the same Bulletin article notes, "In Flanders, 70 cyclists died in traffic last year, 33 of them on an e-bike. The main cause was motorists who did not give right of way."
Why is Flanders a speed pedelec hotspot?
There is an undoubted boom in speed pedelec use in the Flanders area - a trend not followed in other parts of Belgium. During 2022, some 17,592 new speed pedelecs were registered in Belgium - some 42% more than in 2021 - and 95% of these were registered in Flanders.
There appear to have been a number of initiatives by Flanders regional government and other organisations that have led to the speed-pedelec boom. There are undoubted financial incentives, with tax breaks being offered for regular commuting speed pedelec use leading to the rise of a leasing industry popular with employers and employees alike.
Steps have also been made to relax some of the rules on where speed pedelecs are allowed to ride. For example, LEVA-EU reported back in May that speed pedelecs would be given general access to Belgiums towpaths (subject to observing the new signage that restricts them to 30kmh/18.6mph there).
In the UK, speed pedelecs can in theory be ridden on public roads and indeed are for sale here, but, as ebiketips discovered, the red tape and other hurdles are many; a situation that has severely dampened uptake.
