Queensland parents warned kids e-bikes could be illegal

This is how a legal loophole allowed a flood of illegal imported bikes into the city — and why no one is fixing it.

I truly pity the poor police these Easter holidays.

The thin blue line is already all but invisible with family violence, youth crime and traffic violations taking up all of their time. And now they have yet another offence to add to their patrol.

Gold Coast Police Superintendent Brett Jackson last week warned that officers would be on high alert over the holiday break - with e-bikes and e-scooters firmly in their target.

Unfortunately, this seems like a valiant but vain battle. It’s like trying to close the stable door after the horse - or e-bike - has already bolted.

While police have copped criticism for claiming they are fighting a ‘losing battle’ against illegal e-bikes with offenders able to outrun them, our officers are just another set of victims in these circumstances.

The real question here, other than riders behaving badly, is how and why these fat-tyred, non-compliant monsters were ever allowed on to our shores.

An e-bike for sale on the Gold Coast via Facebook Marketplace.

The answer lies in the fact that in 2021, the federal government loosened importation laws and divorced them from the Australian standard EN15194, which requires e-bikes to use pedal-assist for a motor limited to 250W continuous power and with a speed cut-off of 25kmh.

This standard perfectly conforms to Queensland law whereby e-bikes cannot go faster than 25km/h on roads and 12km/h on footpaths and must be powered by pedal-assist, making them subject to the same rules and responsibilities as traditional pedal-powered bicycles.

These are the type of e-bikes you’ll find in any local reputable bike store.

But since importers don’t have to follow these standards, online retailers have been free to sell powerful e-bikes that can achieve speeds of up to 60kmh, and which can be operated by a throttle.

These bikes look cool, they are relatively affordable and they are freely available … which is why, four years after importation laws were relaxed, they are now a scourge on society.

Bicycle Queensland CEO Alton Twine said these devices were effectively an unregistrable electric moped, and many parents had no idea they were buying an illegal e-bike.

“These high-powered e-bikes are not permitted to be used in Queensland, yet they can be freely purchased,” said Mr Twine.

“This leads to confusion about whether these devices can be used, who can ride them, and what safety standards apply. The fact is that no state or territory allows their use in public spaces.

“They are extremely dangerous and should not be available for sale. There is no category ”

While it’s crazy that we ever let these bikes into our country, what is truly outrageous is that this loophole has yet to be tightened.

An e-bike for sale on the Gold Coast via Facebook Marketplace.

What are we waiting for? More deaths? More injuries?

Cracking down on illegal e-bikes should not be the problem of police but an issue for border patrol … if only, of course, we had the proper laws in place.

“All we need to do is just change the importation law and tie it back to the Australian standard, it is such a simple thing to fix and we have brought this to the government and yet nothing has been done,” said Mr Twine.

“We need to make sure that the bikes being sold to our children are legally compliant for the sake of their safety, as well as that of the public. Devices that exceed the power or speed limits of standard e-bikes or e-scooters should not be allowed to be imported or sold.

“I don’t understand how we have let this go on for so long, it would be so easy to stop this problem at the source and then we could focus on ensuring the bikes already on the roads and footpaths are made compliant.”

While police admit it’s not easy to catch these illegal e-bikes, they will be doing their best this Easter.

Supt Jackson said even the speediest of riders was unlikely to escape without consequences.

“There is a lot of cameras and CCTV networks on the Gold Coast, so we use investigative strategies to identify people doing the wrong thing,” Supt Jackson said.

“The parents themselves may receive a knock on the door from police because they are permitting the use of an unregistered motor-vehicle.

“We will put public safety first and we may not pursue a juvenile on a motor vehicle, however that does not mean we won’t investigate and then speak to them and their parents.”

So to our cops: good luck and god speed this Easter.

Meanwhile, let’s hop to it and fix this broken law.