WestCycle stands with Bicycle Queensland and other riding and public health groups around the country, in opposing the newly passed e mobility laws in Queensland that limit access to compliant e bikes and e-scooters across the community.
The legislation’s measures, which come into effect from 1 July, include licensing requirements, parental liability and supervision rules for young riders, and significantly increased penalties.
They make Queensland the most restrictive State to ride compliant e-bikes and e-scooters in Australia.
While safety is critical, these laws will do little to solve the issue of illegal motorbikes and instead place unnecessary barriers on people who rely on e mobility for transport, recreation and health. The introduction of licensing, in particular, risks excluding many riders and undermining the accessibility that has made e bikes and e-scooters such a transformative mobility option.
“The key here is that restricting access to compliant e-bikes and e-scooters will not resolve the headline problem of modified and illegal devices, often motorbikes, being ridden in dangerous and illegal ways by a minority cohort,” said WestCycle CEO Wayne Bradshaw (pictured below).
“E-bikes are helping more Australians ride, from older adults through to commuters responding to rising cost of living pressures. Bike shops nation-wide continue to show strong growth in e-bike sales, demonstrating their role as a practical, low cost transport solution.”
Bradshaw added: “These kinds of restrictions should not be replicated anywhere else in Australia – certainly not in WA where we are focused on clear, nationally consistent rules that encourage uptake, education and responsible use, not red tape that stifles participation.”
Find out more about WestCycle’s e-mobility stance here: https://westcycle.org.au/ride-safe-report-into-erideables-and-e-bikes/
Key elements of Queensland’s e-mobility legislation:
• Riders must be 16 and hold a Driver’s License or Learner’s Permit, with exemptions for medical conditions and disabilities, and the ability for 12–17-year-olds to ride under parental supervision.
• Compliance labelling for e-bikes will be mandatory by 28 February 2027.
• Parental accountability for children under 16 riding illegally.
• Police powers to conduct random breath tests for riders in public places.
• E-bikes and scooters, which can exceed 25km/h unassisted, will be banned, and a 12km speed limit will apply near pedestrians.
• Higher penalties for speeding, failure to wear a helmet, careless riding, illegally carrying passengers and riding Personal Mobility Devices on prohibited roads.
• Riders over the 0.05 blood alcohol limit will face fines of more than $500, with maximum penalties of up to $6,908.
• Police powers to seize and destroy illegal devices.
Media enquiries:
Shane Starling
WestCycle Communications Manager
Phone: 0492 897 199
Email: shane.starling@westcycle.org.au
