New laws to regulate e-scooters and e-bikes in NSW

E-scooters and e-bikes will soon be legal on roads and shared paths across NSW under laws set to be introduced by the state government.

More e-bikes and scooters will soon be flooding the state’s roads, with the Minns government moving to legalise and regulate the fast-growing but often dangerous mode of transport.

NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison confirmed on 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live that the government is acting on a parliamentary inquiry’s recommendation to legalise e-scooters under a new regulatory framework, including speed limits and minimum age requirements.

“We are really trying to obviously regulate an entirely new kind of form of transport,” Ms Aitchison said.

“At the same time, (we want to) ensure we have safer roads and pathways for people right across our community.”

Under the proposed changes e-scooters will be allowed on shared paths and some roads, speed limits of between 10 and 20 km/h will apply, depending on the environment, riders will be restricted to roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less and still capped at 20 km/h and a minimum age limit will be introduced, though the exact figure has not yet been confirmed.

E-scooters will soon be legal on roads and shared paths across NSW. Picture: John Grainger

Ms Aitchison also confirmed changes are coming to clarify what constitutes a compliant e-bike, amid confusion and growing safety concerns.

“If you’re on a bike that you have to pedal to get it to move, then that is classified as an e-bike,” she said.

“If you’re on a bike that might be an electric bike, but you don’t have to pedal it – it just goes – you might just press a button or something, that’s not classified as an e-bike as such.”

The government plans to better align the state’s definition of e-bikes with national and international standards, making a clear distinction between pedal-assisted bikes and electric-powered vehicles that don’t require any physical effort to operate.

Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison shared the proposed laws. Picture Thomas Lisson

Ms Aitchison said the reforms are necessary because e-scooters and e-bikes are already widely used, despite current legal grey areas.

“We need to put this regulation in place because there’s no way we can educate people from a default position of just saying ‘no,’” she said.

“These bikes are out there, they’re being sold, and it is creating an issue.”

She also said education campaigns and enforcement will go hand-in-hand with the rollout of new rules, which are aimed at balancing convenience with safety.

“There is an education piece we are also putting in place here, so we can actually get people to slow down,” she said.

“This is an issue we have with all sorts of vehicles on the road – whether it’s cars or motorbikes.”

Young people on e-bikes at Manly.

It comes after a surge in illegally modified e-bikes created dangerous conditions across Sydney, with many riders, particularly teens, jailbreaking their bikes to exceed the legal 25km/h speed limit.

A Daily Telegraph investigation found 86 per cent of riders were speeding, with some reaching up to 36km/h, prompting growing concerns from residents and safety advocates.

Critics say outdated laws and weak enforcement are failing to keep up with the risks posed by fast, unregulated e-mobility devices.

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Originally published as New laws to regulate e-scooters and e-bikes in NSW