Police will be given extra powers to seize and destroy illegal e-bikes that officials say encourage anti-social behaviour.
Following a move taken in WA, NSW Police will be able to crush non-compliant, high-powered e-bikes, including so-called “fat bikes” and other throttle-only devices.
The measure was in response to a controversial video on social media showing a group of forty e-bike riders and motorcyclists riding dangerously across the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Tuesday.
The convoy could be seen speeding past cars and doing wheelies over the monument, prompting condemnation and calls for a crackdown on illegal devices.
“Riders and owners of illegal e-bikes need to hear us loud and clear now: if you break the rules and your bike does not meet the very clear specifications of a pedal-assist e-bike, expect it to be taken from your possession and crushed,” Transport Minister John Graham said on Sunday.
“Illegal bikes will end up as a twisted wreck, so they can’t get back on the road.”
The batteries of e-bikes may not exceed 250 watts, but can only function as pedal assistance and are switched off when the vehicle reaches a speed of 25 km/h.
Anything that exceeds these power or speed limits must be registered as a moped or motorcycle.
The police already have the power to seize vehicles that are not road legal.
State government officials said the new powers simplify seizure laws designed with cars and motorcycles in mind.
It will be one adjustment in a broader reform package tackling unsafe e-bikes, they said.
E-bikes, many of which retail for more than $2,000, and other high-performance vehicles have become a lightning rod for controversy in parts of Australia.
Despite differences in wording, all states and territories define e-bikes as pedal bicycles with a motorized component, which are divided into more specific categories based on where the motor is installed.
One issue that hasn’t escaped regulators’ attention is that e-bikes can be modified to have higher or lower power.
In Australia, the maximum power for an e-bike is 250 watts, with a speed limit of 25 km/h.
If it exceeds these restrictions, it is considered an illegal road vehicle if used off private property.
Western Australia is the only state with a general minimum age for e-bike riders, which is set at 16 years. In other jurisdictions there is no explicit minimum age to ride a legally compliant e-bike.
However, all states and territories have set a minimum age for e-scooter riders.
In most states this is 16 years, and in the Northern Territory it is 18 years, although states such as Queensland allow use from age 12, provided under parental supervision.
A teenage boy is awaiting trial for manslaughter after allegedly killing a 59-year-old while riding an unlicensed electric motorcycle through a Perth park in July.
At least 100 illegal devices were seized and 2,100 fines were handed out to riders during a Police action in Queensland in December.
For the latest news from SBS News, download our app And subscribe to our newsletter.
#Twisted #wreck #warnings #ebike #riders #rules #broken #NSW