We support measures to address the dangers and community concerns about illegal electric motorbikes and the rise in serious injuries to riders of e-scooters in Queensland, but proposed new laws to limit pedal-assist ebikes to 10kph on footpaths and shared paths do nothing to address those problems; instead they will effectively rule out active travel for many families, pushing them back to relying on driving a car.

Thanks to Stephen for sharing his story and message to the Transport Minister:

I want to be direct. This is a blunt-force instrument being applied to a genuinely complex problem. The core issue is that pedestrians and cyclists have been forced to share whatever scraps of the road corridor remain after motor traffic has taken its cut. A 10km/h speed limit does nothing to address that structural failure. It simply criminalises cyclists, including families like mine, for using the only infrastructure available to them.

Footpaths make up a significant proportion of Queensland’s cycling network, particularly in suburban areas without separated infrastructure. A 10km/h limit effectively removes them from the network for any practical riding purpose.

My children’s school is on Enoggera Road, Newmarket, a six-lane arterial with a 60km/h speed limit. My two older children (aged seven and ten) ride at roughly 16 to 18km/h. If I am required to hold to 10km/h on the footpath, I cannot keep pace with them safely. The alternative is to ride in traffic on a 60km/h arterial while carrying my three-year-old on the back of my bike. I am asking the Minister and members of parliament to sit with that scenario for a moment.

We are careful, considerate users of shared footpath space. We already contend with real hazards from cross traffic at driveways and side streets and uneven surfaces. We manage that complexity every day without incident, because we ride at a speed appropriate to the conditions. We do not need a further layer of cognitive load in the form of a blanket speed limit that bears no relationship to the actual risk environment.

This measure will reduce active travel uptake across Queensland and criminalise riders like me who are genuinely trying to do the right thing for their families, their communities and the environment.

Stephen

Policies that remove safe, accessible alternatives to driving do not improve safety outcomes. They accelerate car dependency. The Department of Transport and Main Roads acknowledged in its response to submissions that regulatory barriers risk discouraging active transport and increasing emissions, congestion and health costs. This recommendation is exactly the kind of barrier the Department cautioned against.

I urge the Minister to carefully consider the practical impact of this recommendation on Queensland families before any legislative action is taken.