The NSW Government plans to introduce a minimum age requirement for e-bikes to address safety concerns.
The exact minimum age has not yet been decided, but the Government said it will likely be between 12 and 16 years old.
The Opposition has raised questions about how the new age limit would be realistically enforced.
E-bikes
There is currently no age restriction for e-bikes in NSW. Riders are legally required to wear helmets, with fines starting from $410 for non-compliance.
Fines also apply for riding under the influence, using a mobile phone while riding, or riding dangerously.
Owners of illegal e-bikes can face fines of more than $818.
There are an estimated 760,000 e-bikes in NSW.
New rules
NSW Government announced on Friday it is in the process of determining a new age requirement for e-bike riders.
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The move follows a Transport for NSW review, which considered whether teenagers and children have “the skills, maturity and awareness of potential dangers” required to ride safely.
The Government is now consulting with child development and road safety experts to set the minimum age.
From next month, the state government will shift the rules so e-bikes operate more like bicycles than motorbikes.
This includes cutting power assistance above 6 km/h if the rider is not pedalling.
Stricter battery, electrical, and fire-safety rules will also be introduced.
All bikes will be required to meet these new standards by March 2029, bringing Australia into line with European safety rules.
Opposition
The NSW Opposition has called the move a “rushed policy,” raising questions about “enforcement, consistency, and whether the reforms will actually change rider behaviour.”
Shadow Transport Minister Natalie Ward said the announcement “doesn’t answer the most basic question: how behaviour will be enforced.”
“Police need a clear tool to enforce rider behaviour... This looks like another headline designed to sound tough, while practical enforcement questions remain unanswered,” Ward said.
