What an absolute farce.
Is it Clive Sinclair?
We need a path to licensing and regulation of higher powered bikes. They’re great vehicles and it’s bullshit we’re not allowed to use them.
I agree completely. A class higher than EN15194 would be very welcome, and requiring a licence for that would be good.
The problem is that they want to require a licence even for EN15194-compliant ebikes. That’s an absolutely unacceptable restriction on people’s ability to get around the city.
Do they, though? Following link in the article to here, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The committee also recommended a two‑tiered regulatory system, drawing a sharp distinction between compliant low‑speed devices and high‑powered or modified machines.
Devices capable of travelling faster than 25km/h would be reclassified as a motorcycle or moped, requiring registration, compulsory third-party insurance, a licensed rider, and road-only use.
Earlier in the article, before any distinction is made between compliant and non-comiant devices:
Those aged 16 or over would need to hold a Queensland learner’s licence, meaning they would have had to complete road rule training before being allowed to ride.
Also immediately after the section you quoted is a bit about reducing speed limits on footpaths (and shared paths, if other media reports are to be believed, though that article didn’t seem to include that detail) to 10 km/h. This isn’t only inconvenient, it’s widely regarded as unsafe for cyclists. Not to mention completely pointless since only ebikes would be limited thusly. Regular analogue bikes could still go as fast as their legs can take them.
That just seems to be the Brisbane times sensationalising. Later in the article posted in the OP:
The committee recommended any device that did not meet the EN15194 standard for a legal e-bike with assistance cutting out at 25km/h should be defined as a motorbike, and riders would need a motorbike licence, registration, a VIN, CTP insurance, and only ride on roads, not paths.
Recommendation 19 says e-mobility devices for on-road use should align with the EN15194 standard – with a 25km/h limit and maximum 250-watt motor – and devices sold for private property only should be permanently marked.
The people interviewed in the article may not even be affected.
These just seem to be committee recommendations, too, and are nowhere near being a law. The 10km/h speed limit thing will go nowhere.
I went and checked the official report. Unfortunately the worst interpretation of the licence requirements is accurate.
Recommendation 13
That the Queensland Government amend legislation to provide that:
- e-bikes and PMDs can only be ridden by individuals aged 16 years and over
- riders of e-bikes and PMDs be required to hold at least a Queensland Class C learner licence which requires completion of the PrepL online learning and assessment program
- this requirement does not apply to e-wheelchair and other accessibility device users
The test costs money, and a learner licence lasts only 3 years. Even without those requirements it would be bad enough just banning under-16s from riding ebikes and needing to pass a test to be allowed to ride.
