More than 30 km/h E-bikes often ride faster than permitted on neighborhood streets
Fast e-bikes regularly exceed the speed limits in residential areas. This is the result of a study by ETH Zurich that compares the speeds of cyclists and e-bikers.
25.07.2025, 10:00
SDA
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- An ETH study with over 17,000 journeys shows how differently classic bikes, e-bikes and fast electric bikes move in Zurich's urban traffic.
- Fast e-bikes often exceed the permitted 30 km/h on neighborhood streets, which creates conflicts with traffic rules and infrastructure.
- The results indicate that existing traffic regulations and infrastructure should be reconsidered, especially for fast electric bikes.
A research team from ETH Zurich analyzed data from over 17,000 bike rides by 351 cyclists in Zurich for the study. The results were published in the journal "Cycling and Micromobility Research".
According to the researchers, the results provide a detailed picture of how fast different types of bicycles actually move through the urban space - and where this leads to conflicts with infrastructure and traffic regulations.
"This can provide indications as to where existing regulations and infrastructure could be questioned or clarified," said ETH researcher and lead author of the study Larin Maurer to the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The study distinguishes between three types of bike: classic bikes, e-bikes with assistance up to 25 km/h and fast electric bikes with a license plate that support speeds of up to 45 km/h.
Fast e-bikes too fast on neighborhood streets
The latter reached an average speed of 27.9 km/h. This means they were on average 8 km/h faster than motorless bikes with average speeds of 19.9 km/h. At 21.9 km/h, the average speed of e-bikes without a license plate was closer to that of conventional bikes than that of fast e-bikes.
On roads with a 30 km/h speed limit, fast e-bikes regularly travel at a higher speed.
These average speeds relate to sections of the route - if the entire bike tour was viewed from door to door, all types of bike were slower.
According to Maurer, the data suggests that users of fast e-bikes behave differently in traffic than other cyclists.
The study also concludes that the speed of cyclists also depends on their age, their physical condition, the gradient and the type of road.
