Queensland's E-Bike Rules: Safety vs Active Transport

0:00It's April 14th. From your city to your ears, this is Sydney News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Queensland's government is pushing new rules for e-bikes that would ban anyone under 16 from riding them, cap speeds at 10 kilometers per hour, on share paths and footpaths, and require a driver's license for everyone else. Brisbane City Council slammed the plan, calling it overkill, and the RACQ came out strong against the license and speed limits too. Supporters like Vision Australia want even tougher measures, such as no footpath riding at all, and sound alerts on the bikes, arguing that, even 10 kilometers per hour poses risks for blind pedestrians who can't hear them coming. Councils from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and NUSA are pushing back hard, saying the rules would discourage kids from commuting to school, make e-bikes useless for longer trips, and ignore how regular bikes face no such limits, despite similar speeds. These relying on e-bikes for daily errands feel baffled, pointing out they already ride

1:03safely at kid-friendly paces around 15 to 18 kilometers per hour. Studies back them up, and Norwegian reports showed regular bikes cause over twice the injuries of e-bikes and Aussie data pegs e-bikes speeds around, 18.5 kilometers per hour on average, close to regular bikes at 22.5. RACQ suggests a simple e-mobility test instead of full licenses, focusing enforcement on bad behavior like close passes. This debate highlights the tension between safety and getting more people on active transport to cut congestion, so keep an eye on how the Parliamentary Committee weighs in next.