Police will get extra powers to seize and destroy illegal e-bikes that officials say are fuelling anti-social behaviour.
Mirroring a move made in WA, NSW Police will be able to crush non-compliant, high-powered e-bikes including so-called “fat bikes” and other throttle-only devices.
The move responded to a controversial social media video that showed a group of 40 e-bike riders and motorcyclists driving dangerously across Sydney Harbour Bridge on Tuesday.
The convoy could be seen speeding past cars and doing wheelies across the landmark, prompting condemnation and calls for a crackdown on illegal devices.
“Riders and owners of illegal e-bikes should now hear us loud and clear: if you are breaking the rules, and your bike does not meet the very clear specifications of a pedal-assisted e-bike, expect it to be removed from your possession and crushed,” Transport Minister John Graham said on Sunday.
“Illegal bikes will end up as a twisted wreck so they can’t rejoin the road.”
In addition to being no more than 250 watts, e-bike batteries can only operate as a pedal-assist and cut out when the vehicle reaches a speed of 25km/h.
Anything that exceeds those power or speed limits must be registered as a moped or motorcycle.
Police already have powers to seize vehicles that are not road legal.
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State government officials said the fresh powers simplify seizure laws that were designed with cars and motorbikes in mind.
It will be one tweak in a wider reform package tackling unsafe e-bikes, they said.
E-bikes, many retailing for more than $2,000, and other high-powered vehicles have become a lightning rod for controversy in parts of Australia.
Despite differences in wording, all states and territories define e-bikes as pedal bicycles with a motorised component, which are broken down into more specific categories based on where the motor is installed.
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One issue that has not escaped regulators’ notice is that e-bikes can be modified to have higher or lower power output.
In Australia, the maximum power output for an e-bike is 250 watts, with a speed limit of 25km/h.
If it exceeds these limitations, it will be considered an illegal road vehicle if used outside of private property.
Western Australia is the only state with a general minimum age for e‑bike riders, where it’s set at 16. In other jurisdictions, there is no explicit minimum age to ride a legally compliant e‑bike.
However, all states and territories have set a minimum age for e-scooter riders.
In most states, it’s 16, and in the Northern Territory, it’s 18, although states like Queensland allow use from the age of 12 if under parental supervision.
A teenage boy is awaiting trial for manslaughter after allegedly killing a 59-year-old while riding an unlicensed electric motorbike through a park in Perth in July.
At least 100 illegal devices were seized and 2,100 fines handed to riders during a Queensland police crackdown in December.
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