On December 30, 2025, while walking on a shared path in inner-Newcastle, I was knocked over by a powerful 750W DiroDi e-bike ridden by a 13-year-old. It was his first ride on his $3500 Christmas present.
I was bruised and suffered a permanent injury to my left eye. The boy, to his credit, remained at the scene and his mother expressed her regret by phone. Even though I reported the incident to police, it wasn't clear if it could be recorded. There was no insurance.
In 2021, the then federal government removed e-bikes from the definition of road vehicles under the federal Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018. This removed the requirement for imported e-bikes to meet the European safety and quality Standard EN-15194 requiring e-bikes to have a maximum power output of 250W, power assistance cutting out at 25kmh, with no power delivered after 6kmh if a rider is not pedalling.
Since then, large numbers of low-quality e-bikes have come into Australia - posing serious safety risks due to overpowered motors, untested batteries, and poor design. These have been linked to crashes, injuries, and battery fires. In 2023, the NSW Liberal state government changed the maximum allowable power rating for e-bikes from 250W to 500W. A parliamentary inquiry, set up by the NSW Labor government in response to safety concerns, published its findings in 2025. The government began to develop laws and promised to introduce minimum ages for young riders by June 2026.
After meeting with my local state MP, I decided to convene a roundtable on e-bikes in Newcastle. I contacted a broad range of people, from cycling organisations representing e-bike users; large employers, such as the university with an interest in transport needs of students and staff; other off-road pathway users including pedestrians and recreational cyclists; healthcare and trauma services; policy and enforcement agencies such as the local council, state transport and police, and environmental organisations. There was a lot of interest.
I found that a roundtable had potential to polarise and divide participants. Safety was emphasised by some people - for individual riders, other riders, pedestrians and the community.
Continuing media attention to accidents, particularly involving young people and anti-social behaviour, has caused many people to be fearful of all e-bikes, while the evidence shows that large, heavy vehicles cause most serious accidents and fatalities. Other people focused on the need to support new forms of active transport and e-mobility for health, environmental and city amenity reasons.
They noted how support for cars dominated transport policy. This is deeply inequitable as many in our society don't have access to a car, for reasons that include cost, disability, and age. This is aggravated by limited public transport. Most transport funding goes to roads and cars: very little supports bicycles and e-bikes that people use to take children to school, for transport to school or work, or for recreation.
Cycling groups have worked tirelessly with governments and councils to develop cycling paths but many remain shared. This factor, the growth of e-bikes and poor e-bike regulation have increased the potential for accidents.
Our reliance on cars hinders the development of other forms of active transport, like walking or cycling. Many of us own cars, but also want to use bicycles, including e-bikes, for short trips and to have paths where we can walk safely.
There is a need to better regulate e-bikes and prevent antisocial behaviour, but safer, healthier forms of active transport need our support. Separate pathways for pedestrians and cyclists and slowing down traffic in localities would increase safety.
E-bikes, like EVs, are environmentally friendly. Attempts to over-regulate alternative forms of transport are misdirected. A dual focus on safety and e-mobility, with an appreciation of the current dominance of cars, might help us devise the way forward.
Any roundtable should wait until the state government hands down new age-limits for riding e-bike. Key state and local governments are better placed than I am to establish a roundtable, but I will happily contribute what I have learnt if one is set up.
