Shanghai mulls restrictions for electric bikes (2)

It also requires cyclists or e-bike riders to carry only one juvenile under 12 years old. A fixed infant bicycle seat is a must for those who want to carry preschool children. Those aged between 12 and 16 are not allowed to carry anyone. The previous regulation forbid those under 12 years old to ride bicycles on the street.

Electric Bike Worldwide Reports said that of the roughly 29 million e-bikes sold worldwide, the United States and Europe accounted for only 80,000 and 1.02 million, respectively.

While bicycle ownership in China is much higher, at 470 million, there's no denying the popularity of e-bikes, whose numbers have been growing steadily and now total more than 120 million. Annual e-bike sales jumped from 1.5 million in 2002 to 4 million in 2003, and recently hit 26 million in 2011.