A public hearing on whether electric bikes should be allowed on streets was held in Haikou Friday in the capital of China's southernmost province of Hainan, the first such hearing in China.

Most participants to the meeting said that battery-driven bicycles are environment-friendly and should be an efficient traffic means in cities.

However, the municipal public security bureau said that battery-powered bikes have caused increasing traffic accidents and jams on streets, and consequently, they should be prohibited in the downtown area.

The topic of electric bikes has remained a controversy across the populous country. Zhuhai City in south China's Guangdong Province took the lead in the country in banning electric bicycles on streets in July. Violators can be fined 500 yuan (US$60) with the bikes confiscated.

Local officials explained that the move was aimed at improving the city's transportation and allowing automobiles to move at a faster speed.

Public security departments warned citizens that more accidents and traffic jams would occur if electrical bikes were allowed to drive on streets designed especially for automobiles.

However, many citizens proposed at the hearing that the public transit authorities could use traffic control means to regulate the traffic of electric bikes in order to reduce the problems.

Lawmakers in Haikou said that the hearing would provide important reference to the drafting of related regulations.

(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2005)