A “health emergency”. A “total menace”. “Take them away and crush them”.
E-bikes are in the news for all the wrong reasons. A spate of deaths and injuries linked to e-bike crashes have led to widespread concern. Hundreds of serious injuries have been recorded over the past two years in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. High-speed rideouts across Sydney Harbour Bridge and through golf courses have infuriated authorities.
The vehicles authorities are concerned about aren’t really e-bikes at all. They’re effectively illegal electric motorbikes, able to accelerate rapidly — some to more than 100 kilometres per hour — and often without the safety standards of a legal motorbike. For years, these vehicles were imported through a loophole allowing them to be used on private land. But once in Australia, most end up on roads, bike paths and public space.
