Tag Archives: regulations

More on e-Bike changes

regulation, , ,

Fat Bike with pedestriansWhile new federal legislation is being introduced in regard to the importation and sale of e-Bikes, each state appears to be applying their own interpretation and implementation of the federal regulations.

This ABC article discusses some of the likely outcomes in NSW….

European safety and performance standards have been introduced from March for new e-bikes, following in the footsteps of WA.

An e-bike marked as “EN 15194” now meets the manufacturing requirements to keep it acting like a bicycle rather than a motorbike.

It means e-bikes must have a maximum power output of 250 watts, and pedal assistance has to cut out at 25km/h.

Additionally, no assistance will be provided if the rider is not pedalling at 6km/h or more.

The government says the standard also includes battery, electrical, and fire-safety requirements, as well as anti-tampering protections to prevent alteration of power or speed limits.

Read the full story at the ABC >>>

New eBike Laws – What’s Changing

cycling, Kiama BUG, Planning, regulation, , ,

eBike commuterFederal and state governments are consolidating their plans around new rules for e-bikes.

Following the decision in 2025 to reintroduce the European standard for e-bikes on Australian roads, the Commonwealth has now amended the import rules for e-bikes by re-inserting EN15194:2017 into the definition of an e-bike in the Australian Design Rules.

The Department of Transport and Border Security uses this definition to decide if a product is an e-bike that can be imported into Australia.

Such an e-bike must meet all the requirements of EN15194:2017 including having a maximum continuous power of 250 watts, a maximum assisted speed of 25km/h, and a maximum throttled-controlled walk-mode speed of 6km/h.

Significantly, the standard now also contains an anti-tampering provision to prevent the power and speed limitations being altered by sellers or owners.

A retailer manufacturer or retailer cannot provide a code, controller setting, device app, mechanical device, throttle in a box or any other functionality for consumer modification.

From our local state perspective, NSW e-bike laws are changing in stages between 2026 and 2029, to become aligned with the national regulations.

New e-bikes sold in NSW must now be marked to show whether they meet the EN 15194 standard or not.

From March 2029, e-bikes that aren’t certified to EN 15194 will no longer be legal to ride on roads, cycleways, shared paths or other public areas in NSW.

The links below provide information about what has changed at a national level, and how these new regulations are being applied in NSW…

 

eBike Regulation Changes Coming to NSW

regulation, Safety, , ,

eBike on one wheelThe NSW government has announced “measured and staged reforms aimed at improving safety for riders, pedestrians and the wider community”.

These changes include:

A power output enforcement has been introduced from this month, while a minimum age requirement for riders is also currently being explored.

e-bikes must now meet the EU standard (EN 15194), so they behave like a bicycle rather than a motorbike.

This means e-bikes must now have a maximum power output of 250 watts, and pedal assistance has to cut out at 25km/h.

Additionally, no non-pedalling assistance (with a manual throttle) can be provided above 6km/h.

The government says the new standards also includes battery, electrical, and fire-safety requirements, as well as anti-tampering protections to prevent the alteration of power or speed limiting software.

 

e-Rideables Crackdown in WA

cycling, Health, regulation, Safety, , ,

Teenagers on a fat bikeIn the lead up to Christmas 2025, the NSW government announced a number of regulatory changes to the sale of e-Bikes, including reduced motor size, maximum top boosted speeds, and the application of throttles. This was in addition to an announcement of revised Federal import restrictions made earlier in the year.

The NSW Government is yet to announce how the regulations will be enforced in NSW.

However, Western Australia appears to be taking an aggressive approach to enforcement, with WA Police urging parents to closely monitor their children’s use of e-rideables, after an operation in Perth saw dozens of juveniles charged and multiple electric scooters and off-road bikes seized and destroyed.

Operation Moorhead was launched in response to community concern about dangerous and anti-social riding behaviour.

Read more at ABC News >>>

Cycling fines soar

cycling, regulation, Safety, , , ,

Cycling FinesMost of us have heard recently about warnings issued by police to local riders for rolling through STOP signs.

The SMH reports that the number of fines handed to cyclists in NSW has surged by more than a third in the first year of increased penalties, which has led to the state government collecting more than $2.2 million in revenue from the top-five offences.

Almost two-thirds of the 9760 infringement notices issued in the 12 months after the new laws were introduced were for failing to wear helmets, the fine for which quadrupled to $319 on March 1 last year.

Read more at the SMH >>>

Bike helmet review throws cold water on sceptics: they’ll likely save your life

cycling, Health, regulation, Safety, , , , ,

From the Sydney Morning Herald…

Cycling HelmetTampere, Finland: The largest review yet of bike helmet use by 64,000 injured cyclists worldwide has found helmets reduce the chances of a serious head injury by nearly 70 per cent.

Claims that bike helmets damaged the neck and caused serious brain injury were also found to be wrong in the study by University of NSW statistician Dr Jake Olivier, who presented on Tuesday to the international injury prevention conference Safety 2016 in Finland.

Do cyclists really need to wear flouro?

cycling, Safety,

Flouro-cyclistThis article will promote some interesting discussion….

From SMH (6/8/2016): When it comes to safety on two wheels, is brighter really better, or have we been sold the great fluoro fallacy?

“Being visible is different from being noticed. Visibility is about standing out from the background and cyclists can enhance that, especially in poor weather or low lighting conditions, by wearing high-visibility materials,” says Dr Sandar Tin Tin

“But being noticed is different because it depends on drivers’ attention to and expectation of the cyclists,” she says.

This distinction is key to a Transport for London commercial, viewed more than 22 million times on YouTube, that asks viewers to count how many passes a basketball team makes.

New rules for cyclists – 2016

cycling, regulation, , ,

The NSW government has announced new rules relating to cycling. These new measures will come into effect in March 2016.

1 MetreFrom 1st March 2016….