In eight years, the number of electric bicycles, self-propelled vehicles and mopeds in circulation in the country grew 37 times, jumping from 7,600 in 2016 to 284,000 in 2024, according to sector data. The program, which airs this Monday (17th) at 11pm on TV Brasil, shows what is behind these impressive numbers and how cities are dealing with the phenomenon.
These vehicles, which are already part of everyday life in large Brazilian cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, can be seen as a solution for short trips in these places, but they also represent risks for those who use this new means of transport.
“The population, spontaneously, started buying and using it more and more and then we enter into discussions about how this use is going, which is growing very quickly and ends up having conflicts in relation to use,” says Luiz Saldanha, executive director of Aliança Bike, which represents organizations in the sector, such as retailers and manufacturers.
For him, the population already understands that it is a vehicle that solves problems. "We need to understand how we can fit these vehicles and organize them on a day-to-day basis."
Conflicts between these lighter vehicles and heavier ones have already led to tragedies, such as the death of 9-year-old boy Chico and his mother, on a street in the north of Rio de Janeiro. They were in a self-propelled vehicle when they were hit by a bus in March this year.
“Often we think: "Ah, this happens very little. How many cases do you know? But just being yours will be painful, right? So, I think we lose perspective, that one day it could be us”, says Chico's father, screenwriter Vinicius Cacofonias.
The use of these vehicles is regulated by the National Traffic Council (Contran). The most current resolution dates from 2023. It differentiates vehicles into three main categories. The first of these is electric bicycles, which require human propulsion and only offer the so-called assisted pedal which, with a motor, helps the cyclist to accelerate the vehicle.
The second is self-propelled vehicles, with pedals or not, which do not require human propulsion to accelerate and whose speed cannot exceed 32 km/h. Finally, mopeds also require no human propulsion, but can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h.
The first two categories do not require a driver's license or vehicle licensing. Mopeds require a category A license or authorization to drive a moped (ACC), in addition to requiring registration and licensing of the vehicle.
For Raphael Pazos, from the Rio de Janeiro Cycling Safety Commission, a non-governmental organization from Rio that advocates safer traffic for cyclists, he believes it is a mistake not to require a license to drive a self-propelled vehicle.
"The Contran 966 resolution of 2023 changed the nomenclature of certain mobility devices, authorizing what was previously prohibited. What was previously a moped, overnight became a self-propelled one and was authorized to be used on sidewalks and in cycling infrastructures", he states. “Now anyone, especially children aged 13, 14, 15, can purchase this equipment and worse, drive it on a track.”
