Bicycle Queensland has reviewed the leaked recommendations from the Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry into e-mobility safety and use. BQ believes that the proposals to require a licence to ride an e-bike are poorly thought through and risk undermining cycling and micromobility across the state and potentially all of Australia.
The leaked recommendations include banning children under 16 from using e-bikes and requiring riders aged 16 and over to hold at least a learner driver’s licence.
Bicycle Queensland Director of Advocacy Andrew Demack said the proposal was a blunt policy response that fails to address the real causes of unsafe devices.
BQ’s transport alliance requests
Bicycle Queensland joined RACQ and Queensland Walks in calling for a targeted reform package to improve safety while protecting the benefits of cycling and micromobility. Key recommendations included:
Stronger enforcement and penalties for illegal high-powered devices and dangerous behaviour
Crackdowns on unsafe retailers who continued to import or sell equipment that didn’t meet the EN 15194 standard
Improved data and education, including statewide reporting and public dashboards supported by education campaigns
Investment in safer infrastructure, including separated cycling and micromobility lanes and higher-quality footpaths
Revamped hire schemes to improve safety and reduce footpath clutter
“If we improved these five things we’d be in a much better situation than we are now,” said BQ’s CEO Matthew Burke.
Licensing proposal is inequitable, costly and counterproductive
BQ believes requiring a driver’s licence to ride a legal pedal-assist e-bike would create significant barriers for people who rely on cycling for everyday transport.
As it puts a motor vehicle framework and cost burden onto people who have deliberately chosen not to own a car, it disadvantages young people, international students, visitors, and people who can’t obtain a licence due to disability or medical conditions. And it disadvantages those who have consciously opted to avoid ownership of a car.
The proposal would add significant administrative and enforcement workload for police while doing nothing to regulate unsafe devices at their source – which is import and sales. It just shifts responsibility onto the user.
The influx of illegal high-powered and throttle-controlled devices followed the former Morrison Government’s 2021 decision to remove mandatory compliance with the EN15194 e-bike safety standard.
That decision opened the floodgates to non-compliant devices entering Australia, and BQ has welcomed the recent reinstatement of EN15194 nationally. But that does need to be enforced at a national level.
With Brisbane 2032 on a closing horizon, the licensing proposal could significantly undermine active transport planning for major events and long-term congestion and emissions goals.
The volume of visitors to Brisbane and other host cities will rely on active transport and public transport as solutions to moving people. A requirement for licences will have a severe impact on the benefit that active transport has delivered for recent Games. Discouraging active transport is the opposite of what cities are doing around the world to fight congestion.
The licencing response, without any commitment to creating a safer user environment, is motonormativity in action.
BQ is urging the Queensland Government to reject any licensing requirement for legal pedal-assist e-bikes and focus on product regulation, retailer accountability and infrastructure investment.
A safe route to go from the hospital precinct to New Farm for riders, and from Breakfast Creek through to the city centre. Routes are on the Principle Cycle Network Plan – but nothing has been built.
New developments should contribute to works that will deliver the safe cycling infrastructure.
Better end of trip facilities in any new apartment or office complex built in the area.
Less parking priority to stop flooding dense inner city areas with private vehicles.
Get a public park built from the funds so far collected.
Bicycle Queensland has joined RACQ and Queensland Walks in calling for urgent reforms to improve safety as new data shows a sharp rise in e-mobility-related injuries across Queensland.
New research from the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU) shows more than 2,000 people presented to Queensland emergency departments with e-mobility injuries in 2025, a 23% increase on 2024 and a 45% increase on 2023. The data represents only around 25–30% of total emergency department presentations, meaning the true number of injuries is likely significantly higher.
At a joint press conference RACQ Head of Public Policy Dr Michael Kane said the figures show the situation is worsening rapidly.
“Queensland’s e-mobility crisis has reached tipping point, the upcoming report provides a clear-cut opportunity to change course,” Dr Kane said.
“We welcome the Queensland Premier’s commitment to provide the strongest response in the nation, especially considering the rate of hospitalisations in Queensland.
“At least 2,000 Queenslanders were admitted to hospital in 2025 due to e-mobility injuries, but as emphasised during the inquiry last year, these figures represent real individuals whose lives have been upended.”
Bicycle Queensland, along with RACQ and Queensland Walks, is urging the Parliamentary Committee to recommend strong and immediate measures to improve safety.
“The things we are asking for cover enforcement, retailers, education, hire schemes and of course infrastructure,” said BQ CEO Prof. Matthew Burke. “If we improved these five things we’d be in a much better situation than we are now.”
Key reforms called for by Bicycle Queensland and partners
Stronger enforcement to stop illegal devices and unsafe behaviour, resourcing for expanded enforcement powers, and penalties for illegal high-powered devices.
Crackdown on unsafe retailers, restricting sales of e-mopeds and e-motorbikes to licensed dealers and tightening import standards.
Improved data and education, including statewide reporting and public dashboards supported by education campaigns.
Investment in safer infrastructure, including higher-quality footpaths and separated cycling and micromobility lanes.
Revamped hire schemes to improve safety and reduce footpath clutter.
The Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project was meant to deliver a continuous Active Transport Corridor alongside the rail line — a safe cycling route connecting communities from Kuraby to Beenleigh. But two key sections of bikeway have now been removed from the project design, without public consultation. Bicycle Queensland is calling for the corridor to be reinstated in full — and we need your help.
Long, safe bikeways are rare in South East Queensland — which is why the Logan Faster Rail Active Transport Corridor mattered so much. This project was meant to deliver a continuous cycling corridor from Kuraby to Beenleigh, around three times longer than Ipswich Road in Brisbane, creating a safe, direct route that would serve:
everyday riders commuting to stations
local school students riding safely to and from school
regional cycle tourism
The Queensland Government, acting through the Department of Transport and Main Roads rail branch, has deleted two key sections of the bikeway:
Between Woodridge and Kingston Stations
From Compton Road to Kuraby Station
The Queensland Government project team did not consult with or advise the public about this major change.
BQ is not sure that the Commonwealth Government was properly advised of the change in project scope to delete the bikeways. The Commonwealth is paying half the bill for the overall works and may not be impressed.
BQ’s solution
Bicycle Queensland is calling for the full reinstatement of the Logan Faster Rail Active Transport Corridor, delivering the safe, continuous route that was originally promised.
First priority: Woodridge to Kingston
Our highest priority is reinstating the Woodridge to Kingston section. This would restore most of the continuous bikeway and directly support safe access for thousands of students.
This section serves schools with a combined population of approximately 4,000 students, including:
Kingston State School
Groves Christian College
Kingston State College
The Y School
Loganlea State High School (directly on the corridor south of Kingston Station)
Updates
BQ were first briefed approximately six weeks after first asking for information.
There has still been no public consultation on the removal.
The project is expected to soon move from design to construction — once construction starts, reinstating the corridor becomes significantly harder.
BQ met with Minister Mickelberg on January 19 and were told he wasn’t going to reinstate these links.
We have now written to all local and state Members of Parliament that surround the corridor. BQ has been advised that they are making inquiries and that discussions are underway.
Action you can take
If you want a safe cycling route from Brisbane to the Gold Coast — or you live near Woodridge, Kingston, Loganlea or Kuraby — please act now.
1) Email the project team
Let the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project team know you want the Active Transport Corridor reinstated:
logangoldcoastrail@tmr.qld.gov.au
2) Contact your local State MP
Ask your State MP to raise the issue directly and support reinstatement of the corridor:
James Martin MP (Stretton) — stretton@parliament.qld.gov.au
Hon Cameron Dick MP (Woodridge) — woodridge@parliament.qld.gov.au
Hon Shannon Fentiman MP (Waterford) — waterford@parliament.qld.gov.au
3) Contact your local Federal MP
The Commonwealth is also part-funding this project. Ask your Federal MP to push for reinstatement of the corridor:
Hon Julie-Ann Campbell MP (Moreton) — Julie-Ann.Campbell.MP@aph.gov.au
Hon Rowan Holzberger MP (Forde) — Rowan.Holzberger.MP@aph.gov.au
Hon Jim Chalmers MP (Rankin) — jim.chalmers.mp@aph.gov.au
4) Mobilise school communities
If you have children or grandchildren at:
Kingston State School
Groves Christian College
Kingston State College
Loganlea State High School
Y School
Contact the school’s P&C Association and ask them to advocate strongly for the bikeway to be reinstated.
5) Join either the Logan Bicycle User Group (Logan BUG) or Bicycle Queensland
The Logan BUG are local cyclists who work hard to make cycling conditions better in the area. Bicycle Queensland is the peak advocacy group for cycling in Queensland. Your membership helps support the advocacy work of Bicycle Queensland, including on campaigns like this.
Bicycle Queensland CEO Professor Matt Burke and Acting Chair Miles Vass have met with Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg to discuss the state’s approach to active transport, with a focus on policy settings, project priorities and delivery processes.
Speaking after the meeting, Prof. Burke said the discussion was constructive, partly thanks to the good work of the State Government in late 2025 clamping down on unsafe e-motorbikes, and in setting up a new active transport advisory group to improve communications with the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Policy
In terms of policy priorities, Miles informed the Minister that road safety was the key advocacy and policy priority for Bicycle Queensland this year. The main topic then discussed was the current inquiry into e-mobility, which will be reporting in March. While the Minister must wait until the findings are handed down, Prof. Burke re-iterated that Bicycle Queensland is well-placed to help, where appropriate, on the messaging around of any upcoming changes or with education or training that may be required.
For members and followers, a reminder that BQ has consistently promoted the benefits of compliant e-bikes and the use of e-scooters within current legislation.
‘We’ve been fighting to keep legal e-bike riding safe and secure, to preserve that part of the industry,’ Prof. Burke confirmed. ‘I did thank the Minister for the clamping down on the retailers, and use of illegal motorbikes in Queensland – many shops stopped selling these products.’
Projects
The main infrastructure project discussed was the Logan Faster Rail continuous active transport corridor. As covered last year, the promised continuous bike way along the length of the rail upgrade has been split into disconnected parts. The Minister was surprised to hear that the project team had done no advertising of the bikeway deletion to either the broader bike community or the local community.
‘There’s almost no chance to get the section north from Compton Road to Kuraby re-instated,’ Professor Burke reported. ‘It’s decreasingly likely that we’ll get the all important section from Kingston to Woodridge station re-instated. But the Minister is willing to find something better than what is there at present.’
The Minister suggested there may be a solution that is ‘80% as good’ and BQ are very keen to explore that. The current proposal to rely on the out-of-date bike lanes on Jacaranda Avenue is untenable. TMR run their own heavy vehicle driver training and testing along that route. The bikeway should be how hundreds of school children get to the four schools on or just off the corridor there. They can’t mix with trucks.
‘We’ll keep the pressure on for this project. We’ll work with the Logan Bicycle User Group on options. We’ll alert the local community that the bikeway was deleted. We’ll build support for the bikeway – again’ Prof. Burke confirmed.
Procedures
The Minister has set up a new Queensland Active Transport and Advisory Group (ATAG), replacing the old cycling committee.
‘The previous committee hardly ever met, and had very little input. I was on it whilst at Griffith University,’ confirmed Prof. Burke. ‘We need this new entity to meet more often and to prioritise two-way communication.’
‘I’ve been on a number of committees with TMR over the years. The best use workshops to help formulate policy options and project directions in the Department, whether that’s to change design guidance, change funding rules, test out new innovations, or more.’
Here at BQ we get a sense the Minister is listening and engaged, but that bicycle funding is unlikely to increase in the near future. He and the Queensland Government have both said they will listen to the community. However, there is still much to fight for – and we will have more news in that space shortly, including how you can get involved.
Bicycle Queensland has reached out to Brisbane City Council about a funded active transport project in Aspley in Brisbane’s north. $5 million in State Government funding was provided to Brisbane City Council in June 2024, but construction has yet to begin.
The Aspley link goes from Beams Road to Cabbage Tree Creek. It will allow you to ride up and beside the Beams Road overpass, avoiding the dangerous road crossing underneath. It serves a number of transport functions, providing safer access Aspley State High School and to Carseldine rail station.
Yesterday, Queensland’s Shadow Transport Minister Bart Mellish effectively posed two important questions: Where did the funding go? When will the project proceed? Both the local community and the bicycle community deserve answers to these questions.
Late Friday our CEO, Matthew Burke, received assurances from the Lord Mayor’s office that Council still wants to build the bikeway.
It may take us a bit more time to get a fuller picture on the funding agreement and the timing for delivery. We’ll engage with Council and others over the coming weeks and will let the large Northern Brisbane cycling community know more when we have a clear picture.
Let the State and Federal Government know you want the Logan Faster Rail Active Transport Corridor reinstated.
The project team involved in designing and building the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project have dumped two key sections of bikeway from the long-promised continuous Active Transport Corridor that was part of the project. We need your help to get a continuous, safe, cycling route reinstated.
Long bikeways are rare in South East Queensland. The Logan Faster Rail Active Transport Corridor was to be three times longer than Ipswich Road in Brisbane, providing a safe riding corridor all the way from Kuraby to Beenleigh.
Transport and Main Roads were relying on it for their own Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Tourism Route. Logan City was relying on it for their Logan Bicycle Network.
Reference to the “continuous active transport corridor” has now been scrubbed from the project website. Despite this, Transport and Main Roads is not consulting the public about this important change.
The Logan Bicycle User Group and Bicycle Queensland briefed six weeks after first asking for information. We were informed that instead of a continuous route, the section paralleling Jacaranda Ave between Woodridge and Kingston Stations was to be axed. So was the section from Compton Road north to Kuraby Station. That is despite the land being purchased for the Active Transport Corridor already.
Our highest priority is reinstating the Woodridge to Kingston section. This would deliver most of the continuous bikeway initially promised. It is also the section that directly services four important schools with 4,000 students: Kingston State School, Groves Christian College, and Kingston State College, all just off the rail corridor, and Loganlea State High School that is smack bang on the corridor south of Kingston Station.
But really, the whole Active Transport Corridor should be immediately reinstated. Both the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments have promised that whenever they build large transport projects, that they will include active transport as a key part of the project. This decision breaks that promise by both levels of Government. It was the then Transport Minister Anthony Albanese who brought this “positive provision” policy in at Commonwealth level.
It makes sense: bicycle routes are needed to help people access the stations along the corridor, if we don’t build them as part of the project it is way more expensive to build it later.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you want to ride safely from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, or live down near Woodridge and Kingston, please act now:
Write, call or email your local State Member of Parliament and ask them to raise the issue directly, via the details available here.
State MPs in the area are Melissa McMahon (MP for Macalister, email macalister@parliament.qld.gov.au), James Martin (MP for Stretton, email Stretton@parliament.qld.gov.au), the Hon Cameron Dick (MP for Woodridge, email Woodridge@parliament.qld.gov.au) and the Hon Shannon Fentiman (MP for Waterford, email: Waterford@parliament.qld.gov.au). (All of these are Labor MPs, if that assists in shaping your message).
Write, call or email your local Federal Member of Parliament to ask them to reinstate the Active Transport Corridor – that the Commonwealth also agreed to fund: for details click here.
Federal MPs in the area are Julie-Ann Campbell (MP for Moreton, Julie-Ann.Campbell.MP@aph.gov.au), Rowan Holzberger (MP for Forde email: Rowan.Holzberger.MP@aph.gov.au, and the Hon Jim Chalmers (MP for Rankin, email: jim.chalmers.mp@aph.gov.au). (Again, these are all Labor MPs, but in this case it is a Labor Federal Government which is part-funding this project).
ANYTHING ELSE
If you have children or grand-children at Kingston State School, Groves Christian College, Kingston State College, or Loganlea State High School, please contact your local Parents & Citizens Association, and ask them to fight for the bikeway.
As the project team has decided not to consult the public about the removal of the bikeway corridor, there is no firm deadline to get your submission in. But the project will soon move from the design phase into construction. Then it will be too late.
They’ve bought the land already. Let’s get the Active Transport Corridor built.
Please act fast! It can’t wait until after Christmas.
Bicycle Queensland celebrated a big 2025 with partners, members, advocates and stakeholders in Brisbane last night. The end of year function was held at the Queensland Parliament. The Hon. Brent Mickelberg, Queensland’s Minister for Transport and Main Roads, and the Hon. Bart Mellish, the Shadow Minister, both spoke at the event. This recognises the importance of cycling for government and how BQ is helping more Queenslanders to get out bike riding.
The Chair of BQ, the Hon. Rachel Nolan, was there. So was the Hon. Mark Bailey – who also previously held the transport portfolio in state government. Other guests ranged from bicycle retailers, members of Bicycle User Groups, other MPs, local councillors, bicycle bureaucrats, organisations that have partnered with us on our advocacy, and members of the BQ board.
The past 12 months saw BQ jumping back into events, expanding our regional advocacy, campaigning on e-mobility, and appointing a new CEO in Matthew Burke. The evening presented an opportunity to not just reflect on 2025, but to look forward. As Chair Rachel Nolan noted:
‘We’re an organisation of a huge network of friends and fellow travellers. We are about bikes, obviously, but we are also about bikes and active transport more broadly. And I think bikes are the best mechanism to change the fundamental nature of the world we live in.’
‘What we envisage at BQ is … at its simplest, a transport system where [providing for and using bikes] is a mainstream idea. Not a transport system in which that’s an add on. We want cities, in some way like they used to be – where kids can ride to school, where it is safe and nobody really gives that a second thought.’
Minister Brent Mickelberg spoke about the recent wins and the challenges in the transport space, and the opportunities for local governments right now:
‘This week we were pleased to announce our new Active Transport Grants program, unifying the local government cycling and walking grant programs into a single streamlined program, to represent fresh ways to work with local councils… in a more flexible model.’
He also noted the importance of Brisbane 2032 and its relevance for visitors as well as for residents during the Games and beyond.
‘We want to support and encourage active travel as it relates to 2032, it’s really important to maximise those opportunities for residents and visitors to walk and to ride to Games but also to other key destinations across the state. It’s a catalyst for us to invest in communities. Active transport is a big part of where we need to go. Active transport corridors will be important for 2032 but will also provide a legacy for active transport post 2032 – that’s a key priority for the government.’
BQ was especially pleased that the Minister noted the importance of creating bike and micromobility parking as an essential feature to encourage and support active transport for the Games. Most members will be aware there is negligible bike parking at most Queensland stadiums.
Shadow Minister Bart Mellish spoke about the impact that Bicycle Queensland and Bicycle User Groups have not just on developing cycling communities, but also their advocacy for safe cycling:
‘I also want to acknowledge the input Bicycle Queensland has had into the inquiry into e-mobility; both Matt and Rachel have been engaging in a very positive way, which I really appreciate. This is a really important thing for governments to get right.’
Mellish also discussed how the 2032 opportunity is such an important thing to get right, looking to the recent examples and success of Paris, with how their investment in infrastructure saw such a dramatic mode shift not just for the Games, but as an ongoing transport choice.
Our CEO Matthew Burke addressed guests celebrating recent wins for cycling, such as the new active transport links on the Coomera Connector on the Gold Coast. He noted BQ had written to TMR’s Nerang Office to congratulate them on that work. At the same time, he noted TMR’s rail branch had deleted a key part of the funded active transport corridor between Woodridge and Kingston on the Faster Rail project. BQ will be trying to get this reinstated.
He also noted the success of this year’s Weekend at Wondaievent and that we are going to repeat the same event format, with minor improvements, in a new Weekend at Pomona in 2026. BQ will also be doing a “Hallowheeling” family ride as part of a road safety campaign around Halloween, when many US children are killed and injured each year.
Inaugural BQ Awards
Matt took the opportunity to make three Bicycle Queensland awards for major achievements for individual bicycle advocacy, for leadership and for community project achievement, as judged by BQ staff. In 2026, we aim to open these awards to formal nominations from our members in a broader, open process.
Excellence in Individual Advocacy: Kathryn Good
Kathryn helped lead the Story Bridge Active Travel Alliance and its Bike Bus, a project that created a safe crossing of Brisbane’s Story Bridge after the shared paths on either side were closed by the Brisbane City Council. The advocacy helped bring forward Council’s actions to fix and re-open this important part of the bike network, in a shorter timeline than many had expected. Kathryn is also part of Pedal Party – a group that organises fun and inclusive mass rides in Brisbane, including an upcoming night-time ‘glow ride’ in January. She noted:
‘It’s critical now more than ever, that we keep engaging with our local representatives at every level of government. They have so much power over our everyday lives in this city when it comes to transport infrastructure.’
Excellence in Leadership: Councillor Peter Mitchell
With his team at Redlands City Council, Cr Peter Mitchell has delivered a more connected and inclusive network of active transport pathways and riding facilities through the Redlands Coast Active Transport Strategy. He helped revitalise Council’s active transport committee, engaging with local cyclists. He also helped bring cycling to greater importance within the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), hosting their first forum on cycling earlier this year. Peter said:
‘People who are riding or walking are problem solvers. We’re solving problems with the environment; we’re solving problems in the economy; and, we are solving problems with transportation. We’re not beggars. We are part of the solution and all of the data supports that.’
Excellence in Community Project Achievement: Mike and Margie Browne, Pioneer Valley Rail Trail
Establishing a rail trail is an exhausting process, working with the (very good) Rail Corridor Management team at TMR, local government and other partners. It takes a lot of paperwork and a lot of late nights for the volunteers who take it on. Though others started the journey towards getting the Pioneer Valley Rail Trail established, it was Mike and Margie Browne who led the group that has now made the first 7km section a reality. With other trail development happening in Eungella, there is the potential for the valley to become a world-class cycle tourism destination. On receiving the award, Mike Browne said:
‘The Pioneer Valley Rail Trail is now a permanent fixture in the Pioneer Valley and the Mackay area – it just needed someone to build it so they would come. We’ve got buy-in now from all levels of government… and we really appreciate the support of Bicycle Queensland and everyone here.’
Beyond the awards and speeches, the evening offered the chance for stakeholders, partners and advocates to connect, discuss projects and engage with policy makers. At Bicycle Queensland we would like to say thank you to every one of our members for being with us in 2025. We hope to achieve more for you, our members and supporters, in 2026.
