The circulation of mopeds on bike paths, bike lanes and streets or avenues will depend on regulation by municipal governments. The information was released by the Ministry of Transport, in response to inquiries made by Agência Brasil. For the national secretary of Transit, Adrualdo Catão, the ideal is that mopeds, equipment that can reach a maximum speed of 50 kilometers per hour (km/h), circulate on roads intended for cars and motorcycles. “The mopeds circulate on the street like a motorcycle. Of course, the municipalities have the competence to create, eventually, a segregated lane or allow the use of mopeds on cycle paths, something that is not recommended, as the cycle path has lower speeds.” Catão explains that the regulation of speed on bike lanes and lanes will also be the responsibility of city halls. Zuleide Feitosa, a researcher at the Graduate Program in Transport at the University of Brasília (UnB), says that it is risky to allow mopeds to travel on roads planned for cyclists. “A vehicle that reaches 50 km/h and another, on wheels, that reaches 5 or 10 km/h, is a very big difference. Even if the cyclist reaches 20 km/h, there is a big difference, which can disadvantage the cyclist and greatly favor the increase in accidents with cyclists”, explains the researcher, who has a doctorate in transport and traffic. Currently, in cities such as Rio de Janeiro, it is common to see mopeds circulating on cycle paths at speeds greater than those of bicycles, in areas such as the city center and the Copacabana waterfront. Agência Brasil contacted the city halls of the two largest Brazilian municipalities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, to find out what the rules and supervision of these vehicles will be like. Both cities are still studying the issue. Regulation Contran 996/2023, which was published on June 22 of this year in the Official Gazette and which entered into force on July 3, provides rules and definitions for motorized transport vehicles with two or three wheels that reach up to 50 km/h. H. Types of equipment The text brings, for example, the definition of each type of vehicle. Briefly, the three types are: electric bicycles, which are those that have an auxiliary motor and reach up to 32 km/h, but require pedaling; self-propelled individual mobility equipment, which reach up to 32 km/h and do not necessarily require human propulsion; and mopeds, self-propelled vehicles with two or three wheels that reach up to 50 km/h. Bicycles, which have an engine but do not need pedaling to function, for example, fall into the category of self-propelled individual equipment. Above 50 km/h is already considered motorcycle or scooter, vehicles with specific regulations. Electric bicycles and individual self-propelled equipment that reach up to 32 km/h do not need a vehicle license and drivers do not need a specific authorization. Mopeds, on the other hand, need to be licensed, registered and drivers are required to have a specific authorization, called an ACC (or type A driving license). Owners of these vehicles have until December 31 to regularize. News Regulations for self-propelled equipment and mopeds are nothing new in Brazilian traffic legislation. The licensing of mopeds and the need for authorization to drive them were already provided for in the Brazilian Traffic Code of 1997 (Law 9.503/97) and were the subject of several regulations by the National Traffic Council (Conatran). A 2015 resolution, for example, gave the states and the Federal District the task of licensing such vehicles and qualifying drivers. In 2009, bicycles with an electric motor were equated with mopeds. Since then, several new electric equipment have spread across cities, such as scooters, unicycles and hoverboards. What the new regulation brought was a clearer differentiation between self-propelled vehicles that reach up to 32 km/h (self-propelled individual mobility equipment, including bicycles), from those that reach 32 to 50 km/h (mopeds). Another novelty was to increase the maximum speed allowed for electric bikes, that is, those that need pedaling to activate the motor: from 25 km/h to 32 km/h. “The legislation is very important to identify the products that necessarily need to be licensed and require a driver’s license. We understand that the measure and its supervision are essential for improving road safety”, says Marcos Antonio Bento de Sousa, president of Abraciclo, an association that represents manufacturers of motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles. For the director of the Union of Brazilian Cyclists (UCB) Ana Luiza Carboni, the resolution is something positive because it brings rules for the use of these vehicles. She shows concern, however, with the maximum speed allowed for this equipment and the inspection of its circulation in lanes dedicated to bicycles. Pedestrian shares lane with moped driver on the edge of Rio de Janeiro – Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil “We understand the maximum speed of electric and self-propelled bicycles, of 32 km/h, as very high. And we don’t have an inspection, nor a bike path that is like the ones in developed countries. It’s an infrastructure that doesn’t support that kind of speed. This can endanger cyclists and pedestrians. We have seen this happen”, emphasizes Ana Luiza. She also criticizes the deadline given until December 2025 for the regularization of mopeds and their drivers. “It’s a very long period for them to have to adjust.”
Agência Brasil
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