Bicycle Queensland has welcomed the tabling of the Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry report into e-mobility safety and use, as around 90% of the recommendations are just what we have been asking for.
CEO Dr Matthew Burke said the report contains important steps toward clarifying what is a legal, safe e-bike is and what is an e-motorbike. This will strengthen enforcement against illegal high-powered devices, and help to embed e-mobility into transport planning.
The issue
BQ has serious concerns regarding at least three recommendations from the Inquiry. These could undo most of the positives provided by the other recommendations.
Licensing Requirement
Bicycle Queensland strongly opposes the recommendation requiring riders to hold an Australian Driver’s Licence, or car learner’s permit (a Queensland Class C learner licence).
“Any reforms must protect the right of Queenslanders to ride safe, legal bicycles and e-bikes without unnecessary barriers – this is not the time to make safe cycling harder or less appealing,” said Dr Burke.
Such a requirement would have sweeping and unintended consequences across Queensland’s transport, tourism and delivery sectors.
Queensland has whole suburbs where around 30% of households do not have anyone with a licence. That’s exactly where safe, legal e-bikes are really helpful to provide a transport solution. This proposal will take that away.
Many seniors and people with a disability who don’t hold a licence enjoy riding bikes on the safe off-road path network. Many don’t have licences and some could never sit and pass a licence test. Their right-to-ride would be lost under this proposal.
People who’ve lost their licence for drug or drink driving often switch to safe, legal e-bikes to get to work or to take their kids to school. Many will now have no viable way to do either.
E-bike hire schemes, like the Lime e-bikes on the Gold Coast, could be wiped out.
International tourists wouldn’t be able to hire an e-bike anywhere in Queensland, including during the Olympics.
There would be further impacts Queensland’s food delivery services, much of which happens on e-bikes and e-scooters, and uses international students in their first job. This would raise prices, increase delivery times or potentially see these services end in parts of Queensland.
Age Threshold
While Bicycle Queensland supports introducing an age threshold for e-mobility devices, a minimum age of 16 is likely too restrictive.
A 16 and higher limit impacts families who use legal, safe e-bikes for recreation and transport, including the journey to school.
Teenagers were using safe, legal e-bikes for decades without much issue. It was only when the over-powered illegal e-motorbikes arrived that this became a concern. If we adopt the other Inquiry recommendations and get the illegal vehicles off the streets and pathways, and get kids onto safe, legal e-bikes, there is no reason that the age limit should not be set lower. This would keep teenagers cycling and not punish parents and guardians who would otherwise have to drive them to school.
Young riders involved in recreational e-mountain biking have not been associated with the urban safety concerns driving the inquiry – but the outcomes would directly and adversely impact them. E-mountain biking using safe and legal e-bikes is incredibly popular.
NSW has just formed an expert panel to determine an appropriate age somewhere between 12 and 16. Bicycle Queensland believes an age limit somewhere between 12 and 14 is more appropriate.
10km/h speed limits on footpaths
Bicycle Queensland supports regulation for safety on footpaths. But a 10km/h speed limit for e-bikes on footpaths has unresolvable problems.
For decades we’ve allowed cyclists – including legal e-bikes – to ride on footpaths without such restrictions, without much problem. When other proposed measures remove high-speed illegal e-motorbikes from the path network we should not need a 10km/h speed limit.
It is unclear whether most of Queensland’s shared paths are actually ‘footpaths’, under existing legislation. This would be putting a 10km/h speed limit on almost every shared path, riverside and foreshore path, and long-distance rail trail in the entire state. That would kill off most legal e-bike commuting on our existing networks and criminalise e-biking on the rail trails. This is surely not what the Parliamentary Committee was thinking, but this might be the unintended outcome.
Additionally, it can be difficult to ride any bike at 10km/h, increasing wobble, reducing rider control, and adding risk to others path users.
Queensland’s bike routes use a mix of bikeways, shared paths and roads. Installing signage to make clear the change in arrangements and speed limits would be an unaffordable burden on councils (there are ten of thousands of shared path segments out there), for little benefit.
BQ’s solution
The rest of the world encourages e-mobility to reduce traffic congestion and create better communities, and so should Queensland.
Bicycle Queensland calls to reject the recommendation for any form of licence to use legal e-bikes. Only North Korea asks riders of safe, legal, low-speed e-bikes to have a licence.
Bicycle Queensland supports an age threshold for safe and legal e-bikes be introduced. But it should be set somewhere between 12 and 14 years of age.
Bicycle Queensland also calls to reject the proposed 10km/h speed limit for footpaths, given the likely unintended consequences of putting this limit on most of the shared path network, including our long-distance rural rail-trails and commuter bikeways. This will kill off key tourism and recreational riding in regions, and put many commuters back into cars on crowded streets, increasing traffic congestion.
Action you can take
If you stand with Bicycle Queensland and don’t want to see the above impacts to safe, legal e-bike use – please act now:
- Write to your local State MP, to explain the positive impacts of e-mobility and how the above recommendations would limit your use of active transport and recreation. Look up your local member here online.
- Write to the Minister for Transport at email: transportandmainroads@ministerial.qld.gov.au.
- Join Bicycle Queensland. Help us fight for you for just $49 via a BQ Supporter membership. Or get insurance too with our full, concession or household membership packages.
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