In many parts of the world, electric vehicles are seen as part of the solution to air pollution and traffic problems, but in Shenzhen, officials are planning to ban battery-powered bicycles on the city's roads by the end of next year. The reason for the ban, officials say, would be to solve a range of social problems associated with the bicycles, such as traffic jams and accidents, and even drive-by robberies. Shenzhen is following the lead of a long list of mainland cities - including Beijing, Fuzhou in Fujian, and Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhuhai and Foshan in Guangdong - that have banned electric bicycles or confined them to suburban areas in recent years. The ban on battery-powered bicycles has its roots in previous bans on motorcycles, which critics say were aimed at making way for cars. Starting with Beijing in the mid-1980s, at least 168 mainland cities, including Tianjin and the capitals of 25 provinces and autonomous regions, had officially banned or restricted the use of motorcycles by the end of 2006, according to figures cited early this year by a leading motorbike manufacturer. Shenzhen banned motorcycles in 2003 in an attempt to improve road safety and stop people from using them in crimes. Many riders, however, simply switched to battery-powered bicycles. There are no official statistics, but local media have cited estimates that at least 300,000 people ride electric bikes daily in Shenzhen. Costing between 1,000 yuan (HK$1,137) and 3,000 yuan, they are a cheap and popular way to get around. Police say their main concerns with the bicycles are safety and enforcing traffic regulations. Most riders do not have a licence. 'These riders have never received any special training or tests, so there's a lot of uncertainty over their driving abilities,' said one transport police officer who declined to be named. Thirty-eight people have died in accidents related to the bicycles in Shenzhen between January and June, according to the Nanshan district Public Security Bureau. Another safety issue stems from the bicycles being used as illegal taxis. 'Many riders who were involved in fatal accidents were using the battery-powered bicycles to do taxi business,' the officer said. 'You can see many electric-bicycle taxi drivers hovering around bus stations - especially at sub-districts and industrial parks. Many low-income people such as immigrant workers use them. 'They run very fast on roads, running through red lights and against the traffic flow. Some even drive on expressways side by side with cars. That's very dangerous and a big headache for our police.' But the proposed ban has been criticised by environmental activists, bicycle owners and sellers who would lose business. 'I don't understand why authorities in China ban them when they are welcomed and encouraged by all developed countries,' said He Xiaohua , secretary general of the Guangdong Bicycle Industry Association. 'Battery-powered bicycles have economic and environmental benefits by reducing petroleum dependence and pollution,' He said. 'Second, the vehicle contributes to the gross domestic product, although revenues are not as big as those of the auto industry. Does it mean we have to ban them to make room for cars? Third, bicycles and battery-powered bicycles are necessary for daily life for low-income residents.' Xu Ning , an express delivery man, also opposes the proposed ban. 'Without an electric bicycle, I would have to pay about three more yuan for the bus or subway to deliver one piece of mail. I earn only 50 fen for delivering each piece of mail. How can I afford the transport fee? 'The city planners always ignore the needs of ordinary pedal cyclists. Allow the orderly development of electric bicycles and don't simply kill them off. Poor people need the vehicles.' The national campaign against motorbikes started about 20 years ago has in recent years seen millions of registered motorcycles forced off the roads in the bigger cities of the Pearl River Delta, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Dongguan, followed by many smaller cities. Police in Guangzhou and Dongguan claimed that motorcycles were one of major forms of transport used by robbers there. Motorcycle manufacturers and industry experts complain that the reasons provided by local governments for the ban - a need to improve road safety, reduce noise, air pollution and traffic jams - are unreasonable. A spokesman for Zongshen Group, one of the mainland's largest motorcycle makers and which is based in Chongqing , said an industry alliance had been formed to persuade officials to cancel the ban. Zongshen president Zuo Zongshen, a member of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, had complained to the CPPCC at its annual meeting in March that such policies were ridiculous. 'Mr Zuo had said that if criminals use cars for robberies, shall we ban cars as well?' the spokesman said.