In 2002, the Beijing Municipal government led the nation in issuing an order banning electric bicycles from January 1, 2006. Since then a number of local governments have followed this.   In May, the Legislature of Zhuhai in South China's prefix = st1 /GuangdongProvincebecame the first law-making body in the country to pass a regulation to keep electric bicycles off the roads.   They claim environmental disadvantage and concerns over public safety justify their ban.   Local government officials and law makers have argued their leading concern is the threat of pollution from spent lead-acid batteries. The  ly high speed of electric bicycles --- faster than most common bikes at about 20 kilometers per hour --- is just too dangerous in the eyes of some policy-makers.   They also mention interference with automobiles, common bikes and passers-by that results in accidents or slowed traffic.   But none of these arguments justify the ban.   In the first place, it should be made clear that while operating, the battery driving an electric bike sends out almost no polluting gas. They are much cleaner than cars. If the batteries, which can be used for one or two years, are thrown away without proper treatment or recycling, environmental damage is highly likely.   It is required that electric bike producers and store sellers sign recycling contracts to ensure consumers can sell used batteries back to producers. In practice, some small producers neglect their recycling responsibility, causing concern for environmental pollution.   It is clear the authorities can solve the problem through strengthening management. Although it will require some extra efforts from the government, it does not go beyond government officials' call of duty.   Regarding the speed, there are technical standards governing the production of electric bikes. According to the standards, the designed speed should be limited to a maximum of 20 kilometers per hour. This is slower than the top speed of some mountain bikes.   To  _ the consumer desire for higher speed, some manufacturers have made it easy to remove speed-limiting devices after purchase, which is potentially very dangerous.   To make the bicycles safer, local governments should draft regulations specifying severe punishments for rule-breakers. The black sheep should be picked up and punished, but violations by a small number of manufacturers or riders should not be an excuse to spoil the fun for everyone. What is the author's attitude towards banning electric bicycles?
. Positive Negative Neutral Not mentioned