Month: April 2026

Understanding the impacts of Queensland’s draft e-mobility legislation

Post author By Mike Blewitt
Post date 28 April 2026

BQ's E-bike rally at Brisbane Botanic Gardens 21-04-2026 to save safe legal e-bikes. Photo by Element Photo and Video Productions.

In light of the Queensland Government’s Draft e-mobility legislation, BQ hosted a pop up advocacy event in the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens on the morning of April 21. With a lot of confusion around who the laws may effect and how, we wanted to be able to meet concerned riders to either inspect their bike for compliance, and hear how the draft laws may impact them.

With over 100 riders dropping past, many bikes were inspected. Of the 40 bikes we managed to inspect to determine if they would meet the updated compliance, only 1 passed. However, all 40 are safe, legal e-bikes that are compliant under the current EN15194 regulations.

Along with other riding advocacy groups, BQ has major concerns about other new laws, including the maximum 10km/h speed for safe, legal e-bikes on shared paths and trails, and the need for a car licence and the under-16 ban.

how to defend safe, legal e-bikes

We heard from riders who express concern that their use of a safe, legal e-bike to get around, meet friends and stay active might see them breaking the law – thanks to legislation that has been rushed through, without proper consultation to understand the negative impacts to riders of safe, legal e-bikes that meet the global compliance standards.

‘This bike has just been so fantastic to open up my experience of Brisbane,’ one rider told us, who uses her e-bike for commuting, but also to visit other parts of Brisbane for nights out with her partner or friends. ‘And I’m being classed in the same sort of category as the illegal motorbikes, which is very unfair.’

‘We are getting people out of cars, we are getting them onto public transport, we are getting them onto bikes – we should keep that up,’ Joe Kelly MP told us while visiting the event. ‘If 95% of people are telling you you’re getting something wrong, you should probably listen to them.’

BQ had other politicians come along to show support, including Mark Bailey and Bart Mellish.

‘This exercise was useful in demonstrating to the public the scale of the problem of this bill, in currently having no pathway to compliance for bikes without a permanent EN15194 marking,’ said BQ’s CEO Dr Matthew Burke. ‘So many of the existing safe, legal e-bikes are going to be made non-compliant.’

While thousands of people have made submissions as a response to the draft legislation, you can still make an impact. Write to your local member to express your point of view, and if you’d like to support Bicycle Queensland you can do so via a donation, or better yet – by becoming a BQ Member.

Tags active transport, advocacy, Bicycle queensland, cycling, Queensland

Events

Everything you need to know for BQ’s Weekend at Pomona

Post author By Mike Blewitt
Post date 28 April 2026

BQ’s Weekend at Pomona is closing in fast, with our latest ride event taking place from May 16-17 – although we will be on-site at Pomona Showgrounds from the afternoon of May 15.

We have a complete rider sheet with timings, essential phone numbers and a suggested pack list prepared.

read the rider sheet

All the main rides have been outlined in a Ride with GPS event. Riders need to download the routes to their phones or GPS devices for safe route navigation on the rides. You will need to sign up for a free Ride with GPS account to download the routes.

head to ride with gps

There is a ride briefing online now, for details on the event and how it will run. BQ will have short rider briefings on the morning of each ride, as listed in the event sheet.

We also have a range of advice around what bike you should bring to BQ’s Weekend at Pomona, to make sure you enjoy the weekend away:

If you have more questions, don’t forget to reach out to the BQ team: info@BQ.org.au.

Camping at Pomona Showgrounds

If you want to camp, ensure you contact the showgrounds to book your tent or caravan space. We’ve had the below maps provided for an idea on the layout.

not entered? enter now!

Tags Bicycle queensland, cycling, Queensland

Advocacy

Riders rally to save legal e-bikes

Post author By Mike Blewitt
Post date 17 April 2026

Bicycle Queensland is calling on riders to join a public pop-up event in Brisbane’s City Botanic Gardens on April 21 (7:15 – 8:30am), as concerns grow over proposed changes to Queensland’s e-mobility laws. The event, centred around the message #savelegalebikes, will highlight the real-world impact of the draft legislation. This includes rendering most current safe, legal e-bikes non-compliant on the 1st of July, and banning riding of e-bikes at over 10km/h on much of the state’s bikeway network.

event details

draft bill

bq’s submission

Bicycle Queensland CEO Dr Matt Burke said the proposed changes risk undermining years of progress in active transport.

“These are everyday riders on safe, legal e-bikes, purchased from reputable retailers. They are not the dangerous high-speed devices the Government was meant to be focusing on,” Dr Burke said. “Hardly any bikes have the permanent marking from the manufacturer saying “EN15194(2017)A+1″ that the draft bill requires. If you don’t have that marking there is no pathway in the legislation to become compliant, even if your bike meets all the standards, is low-powered and low-speed.”

E-bikes and e-mobility are getting people moving.

More than 200,000 safe, legal e-bikes will be affected, and at least as many riders. These safe legal e-bikes are worth over $900,000 according to Bicycle Industries Australia (BIA) estimates.

Dr Burke said, “If this legislation is passed in its present form, we will effectively kill safe, legal e-biking in Queensland by the end of the year. There is a short amnesty, but without a pathway to compliance, my bike and hundreds of thousands of others will be junk.”

At the event, riders will be invited to have their bikes investigated , with results publicly tallied to demonstrate the scale of the issue. Brisbane riders can also see maps of all the routes they will no longer be able to ride more than 10km/h, removing so much of the bikeway network. The exercise is designed to show how broadly the changes could impact ordinary Queenslanders. BQ will also be joined by eScootNow who will also do a pop-up safety check for personal mobility devices (PMDs).

Bicycle Queensland is advocating for targeted amendments, including:

· A clear pathway to compliance for existing e-bikes

· Removal of proposed 10km/h speed limits on shared paths

· No introduction of age restrictions

· No requirement for riders to hold a driver’s licence

“Safe, legal e-biking is not, and has never been the problem,” Dr Burke said. “We are making Queensland the most difficult place on earth to ride a safe, legal e-bike, without fixing the real problem. The dangerous high-speed illegal devices will still be on sale in the very same shops currently selling them on 1^st July under this draft bill.”

The event will also provide an opportunity for riders to share their experiences and explain how the proposed laws would affect their daily travel, recreation, and wellbeing.

Bicycle Queensland is encouraging all riders, supporters, and community members to attend and make their voices heard. Event details are on our event calendar.

Tags active transport, advocacy, Bicycle queensland

Advocacy

BQ’s submission on e-mobility bill

Post author By Mike Blewitt
Post date 2 April 2026

Bicycle Queensland has delivered our submission to the Transport and Other Legislation (Managing E-mobility Use and Protecting Our Communities) Amendment Bill 2026 to the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee.

read the draft bill

While BQ is supportive of many elements of the Bill, we have outlined the main parts of the Bill that BQ does not support, as we seek to defend safe, legal e-bike use. Licensing, 10km/h limits on shared paths, age restrictions and a lack of clear e-bike definitions will harm the uptake of safe, legal e-biking and reduce participation in active transport and recreation. This will have a direct impact on road congestion and road trauma involving bike riders.

This Bill will make Queensland the hardest place in the world to ride a safe, legal e-bike.

And it still won’t fix the problem.

You can read our final submission:

bicycle queensland’s formal submission

If you stand with Bicycle Queensland and don’t want to see impacts to safe, legal e-bike use – please act now. Every voice counts! We encourage you to use the key points of our submission, or the complete submission.

Urgent changes BQ is requesting

1. A clear and workable e-bike definition – that covers the 200,000+ safe, legal e-bikes Queenslanders own now.

2. Dropping all licensing, speed limits and age bans for legal e-bikes – they are an unreasonable imposition, supported by absolutely no evidence, and are unnecessary if we get rid of the illegal devices.

3. Investment in the active transport infrastructure Queensland needs – as not one additional dollar has been committed to this, despite the Parliamentary Inquiry’s recommendation.

You can take the actions below:

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.

Join bicycle queensland

Tags active transport, advocacy, Bicycle queensland, cycling, emobility