It is understood that the DfT are considering a review of the British legislation regarding EAPCs following the publication of new draft standards being developed by CEN, the European standards body. In undertaking this work it is imperative that potential alterations to current standards are investigated so that safety is not compromised. One such difference is that, unlike British legislation, the draft CEN standard does not include a mass limit. The information presented only gives an indication of the likely effects of mass on an EAPC. It has not been possible in most cases to give accurate recommendations regarding the effects of mass because there has been very little previous work conducted on bicycles and EAPCs in general. The only way in which to give reliable information regarding the effects of increasing the mass of an EAPC would be to conduct testing specific to the addition of extra mass to an EAPC. Further consideration of factors identified in this initial report is required before any decisions on removing the GB EAPC weight limit are reached. (Author/publisher)
Abstract