We support Bicycle Queensland in defending the safe and responsible use of standards-compliant e-bikes—i.e. bicycles with a low-powered electric motor which only provides assistance while the rider is pedalling, and which cuts out when the speed exceeds 25km/h.
We’re asking you to help by writing a short note to your local state Member of Parliament asking that any changes to laws and regulations in relation to e-bikes:
- don’t reclassify bicycles as motor vehicles, and
- don’t act to restrict the safe and responsible use of standards-compliant e-bikes.
Compliant e-bikes have an excellent safety record. They are simply bicycles that enable the rider to arrive less sweaty in the Queensland heat, breathe a little easier up a steep hill, and expend less effort transporting groceries or the kids without having to always drive a car or wait for public transport. E-bikes enable cycling for a range of people who would otherwise be excluded from an affordable and enjoyable method of transport and exercise.
While most of the 28 recommendations from the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into e-mobility safety and use in Queensland seek to address the real safety issues and community fears around the rise in use of e-scooters and the availability of high-powered electric motorbikes, a number of the Committee’s recommendations are problematic, and could have harmful consequences, not just for people who currently ride e-bikes.
Our position:
E-bikes are simply bicycles. According to the globally recognised e-bike standard EN 15194, these are bicycles which have a low-powered motor (less than that produced by a fit adult cyclist), which only provides assistance while the user is pedalling and travelling at 25kph or slower. It would be inappropriate and counter-productive to attempt to reclassify these bikes as motor vehicles – which are many times larger, heavier, more powerful, and don’t have a mandated power limit or cut-out speed on the motor at all.
Licensing and age restrictions are unnecessary for compliant e-bikes, and potentially very unfair on people who might not qualify for a driver’s licence for a range of reasons which Bicycle Queensland have highlighted.
10kph blanket speed limits for any category of bicycles on footpaths and shared paths are unjustified, infeasible, and prone to difficulties in interpretation. There are risks of biased and incorrect enforcement because it is difficult to distinguish at a glance between a regular bicycle and an e-bike and there is no distinction in current Queensland road rules between a bikeway, shared path, or footpath. It is already an offence for a bicycle rider to ride in a dangerous manner or fail to give way to pedestrians in a shared environment.
We encourage the Queensland Government to focus instead on the positive recommendations from the inquiry and those that will deliver real safety benefits by restricting the availability and reducing the prevalence of non-compliant electrically powered motorcycles and other high-speed devices. We remind legislators of the number one recommendation from Parliamentary Committee:
“That the Queensland Government continue to recognise that compliant e-mobility devices, when used safely and responsibly, form a viable and valuable component of the state’s transport system by providing convenient and affordable short trip options, reducing car dependence, supporting environmental objectives, and removing mobility barriers and enhancing independence for some members of the community.”
Take Action:
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to call or write to your local member of Parliament to point out the benefits of cycling, and how you and your family would be impacted by measures that might make it more difficult.
You can check your state electorate here: www.ecq.qld.gov.au/electoral-boundaries/where-is-my-electorate
Find the address to call or write to your state MP on the Queensland Parliament Member List – or see the table below
Resources:
More information about the Parliamentary Inquiry into e-mobility safety and use in Queensland including the submissions
Download the full report or the Executive Summary.
Email addresses for Members of Parliament representing Brisbane electorates:
Space for Cycling Brisbane 