NSW Government Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal E-Bikes

Authorities in New South Wales are intensifying their crackdown on illegal e-bikes, with 23 non-compliant vehicles destroyed at a wrecking facility in Western Sydney on Thursday. The e-bikes, seized in the northern beaches, were crushed under new laws that grant police and Transport for NSW the power to confiscate and dispose of e-bikes that do not meet safety standards.

New laws enable police to seize and destroy illegal e-bikes

Minister for Transport John Graham attended the live demonstration, where he stated, "This is where illegal e-bikes go to die." He emphasized that riders must comply with regulations, urging them not to tamper with their e-bikes. Under the new laws, police can now seize and destroy high-powered e-bikes without needing a forfeiture order from the courts.

"If you are on high powered bike, if you have tampered with your bike, if it is illegal, if it's going too fast, it will be seized and it will be crushed," Mr. Graham said.

According to Transport for NSW legislation, a legal e-bike must have a maximum continuous power of 500 watts, a motor function that cuts out at 6 kilometres per hour if the rider is not pedalling, and must not exceed speeds of 25km/h.

Concerns over traumatic injuries from e-bike accidents

Acting director of rehab medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital Ed Lewis highlighted the severity of e-bike-related injuries, stating that about 42 per cent of patients who presented to the hospital required a "trauma response." Dr. Lewis noted that the most serious injuries were often caused by not wearing a helmet and riding under the influence or at high speed.

"With a severe brain injury there is a real high risk of death. What we try and promote with e-bikes is safety," he said. "So we want people to be wearing helmets, we want people to be acknowledging that they’re really fast, so watching their speed, but also making sure they’re not driving or riding an e-bike impaired where they’re using drugs or alcohol as well."

E-bike injuries in children on the rise

New data from the Sydney Children's Hospital Network reveals that the number of children presenting with e-bike or scooter-related injuries has more than quadrupled since 2023. So far this year, 183 children have been treated at Westmead and Randwick hospitals for e-bike or e-scooter injuries.

A spokesperson for the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network stated that injuries from electric vehicles were now the third most common reason for admission, with children's injuries ranging from minor soft tissue injuries and bone fractures to deep tissue wounds, friction burns, and severe head injuries.

Review of minimum age limits for e-bike riders

Minister for Transport John Graham mentioned that the government had received a report reviewing minimum age limits for e-bike riders, which recommended a legal age limit between 12 and 16 years. He expressed concerns about primary school children riding heavy e-bikes, stating, "I don't think it's sensible to have primary school kids on these heavy e-bikes."

"I think the idea there's no age limit...makes common sense, but we need to strike the right balance," Mr. Graham said.