NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced statewide regulations to e-bikes will soon be enforced after a man was killed by a garbage truck in Sydney’s CBD.
At around 6am, police responded to an incident at the corner of Little Regent Street and George Street in Ultimo, where a man in his 30s was treated by paramedics but sadly died at the scene.
Just over an hour later, Minns appeared on 2GB radio and announced plans to lower the maximum power of legally purchased e-bikes to 250 watts, from 500 watts.
“This is obviously terrible and your heart goes out to that man’s family on the eve of Christmas for this to happen. I mean, it underlines the point — these [bikes] can be very dangerous,” Minns said, adding that the changes will occur “in the coming months”.
“We are contemplating a pretty serious change,” Minns said.
“New South Wales is the only state where you can legally purchase an e-bike with 500 watts of power, and we want to make a change to reduce that to 250 watts.”
E-bikes capped at 250 watts can only reach 30km/h, so the limit will shift to match that. The Premier says the move will boost safety statewide — especially in Sydney, where e-bike use has surged in recent years and become a major part of the city’s commuting culture.
“There’s the hotted up ones where the limit has been removed, and they can travel incredibly quickly, far faster than moving traffic,” Minns said.
Officers from the crash investigation unit are now looking into the incident, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
The 28-year-old garbage truck driver was taken to hospital for mandatory testing, and a crime scene has been set up at the busy intersection near the Railway Square bus interchange.
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