Waverley Council Mayor Will Nemesh proposes e-bike ‘round up’

An eastern suburbs council claims it has been ‘overrun’ by e-bikes, but it could soon become a thing of the past under plans to give operators one month to clean up their act. Have your say

Discarded e-bikes littering streets across the eastern suburbs could soon be rounded up and locked away with the local mayor giving operators one month to clean up their act or risk going out of service at hotspots including Bronte Beach and Bondi Junction.

Waverley Council Mayor Will Nemesh said the lack of clear legislation has led to an “uncontrolled” explosion in e-bikes being dumped on footpaths and ridden at dangerous speeds, with bike share trips increasing by more than 350 per cent in the area between 2021 and 2024.

After months of discussions went nowhere, Mr Nemesh said e-bike companies including Lime, Hello Bike and Ario will be given a one month deadline to establish a Memorandum of understanding agreement about the number of bikes allowed in Waverley, designated parking areas, 20km/h maximum speed limits and mandatory helmets.

If they miss the ultimatum deadline, Mr Nemesh warned council will start “rounding up the bikes” and impounding them.

“We are continuously receiving complaints from the community about shared bikes carelessly left on footpaths or ridden at dangerous speeds. Enough is enough,” he said.

Dumped and poorly parked e-bikes could soon become confiscated across the eastern suburbs. 05/02/2024. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

The Mayoral Minute proposal will be put to council on Tuesday night and would require e-bike operators will be required to cover the costs of implementing the agreement.

Operators will also need to move bikes hindering pedestrian access within two hours of notification and fork out $2750 per non-compliant bike.

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said “enough is enough” after council were inundated with e-bike complaints.

The agreement would include a six-month trial from June 2025 with designated parking areas in high-traffic spots such as Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach and Bronte Beach.

Council will urge the Minns government to implement a state-run tender process for bike share services with a portion of the generated revenue allocated set aside for local councils to spend on infrastructure and rule enforcement.

Originally published as Waverley Council Mayor Will Nemesh proposes e-bike ‘round up’