BQ’s concerns over calls for e-bike licences

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 an e-bike and what is an e-motorbike, strengthening enforcement against illegal high-powered devices, and embedding e-mobility into transport planning. 

“This report recognises that compliant e-bikes and e-mobility devices are a legitimate and valuable part of Queensland’s transport system,” Dr Burke said. 

With clear definitions, stronger retail standards, anti-tampering laws and proper enforcement against illegal e-motorbikes we should be able to greatly reduce the numbers of dangerous high-speed vehicles from our bikepaths. 

“These devices are not e-bikes. They are unregistered electric motorbikes and should be treated as such,” Dr Burke said. 

However, BQ has serious concerns regarding three 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). 

Dr Burke said “Any reforms must protect the right of Queenslanders to ride compliant bicycles and e-bikes without unnecessary barriers – this is not the time to make safe cycling harder or less appealing.” 

Such a requirement would have sweeping and unintended consequences across Queensland’s transport, tourism and delivery sectors.  

A licensing requirement would undermine public e-mobility schemes, including Neuron and Lime e-scooter and e-bike operations. Young people, students and international visitors use these services. We don’t want schemes like Lime’s Gold Coast e-bikes to be shut down.  

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.  

The food delivery companies such as UberEats, DoorDash and Domino’s provide work for e-bike and e-scooter riders, many of whom are international students securing their first Australian job on arrival. That whole industry may be jeopardised by this proposal, as it creates a significant barrier to this employment.  

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 people. Again, this proposal will take that away.  

Bicycle Queensland is already working with a coalition of industry groups and other stakeholder to defeat this proposal. 

Age Threshold 

While Bicycle Queensland supports introducing an age threshold for e-mobility devices, a minimum age of 16 is likely too restrictive. 

The proposed threshold would dramatically impact families who use legal, compliant e-bikes for recreation and transport. 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. 

We would prefer to switch the many thousands of high schoolers travelling on over-powered, high-speed e-motorbikes across to safe, legal e-bikes. Queensland would be much better off if those kids weren’t driven to school again. 

NSW just last month announced an expert panel to choose a minimum age somewhere between 12 and 16 years old.  

“We believe a more appropriate threshold would sit between 12 and 14 years of age,” Dr Burke said. 

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. 

Most importantly, the loss of centrifugal forces at low speed makes it hard to ride any bike at 10km/h, increasing wobble, reducing rider control, and adding risk to others path users. 

Bike routes are also not like the street networks that car drivers know. Most of Queensland’s designated bike routes have sections that include footpaths. Where a shared path ends and a footpath begins is often unclear. There is usually no signage to indicate the change. Installing signage to make clear the change would be an unaffordable burden on councils, for little benefit.  

Right to Ride 

“We must not allow poorly targeted reforms to punish the majority of responsible riders,” Dr Burke said. 

“This report gets much of the framework right. Now we need to ensure the final legislative response preserves accessibility, fairness and common sense.” 

“We will work through the rest of the recommendations and provide a fuller response in the coming weeks.” 

Read the complete report

Bicycle Queensland’s submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry

Queensland’s e-bike rules