‘Idiots': Teens filmed riding e-bikes through food court
The footage, uploaded to Reddit on Wednesday, showed at least four teens riding Lime e-bikes through the George Street Event Cinemas complex, sparking a flood of angry comments.
'Am I the only person that really hates the effing things?' one person wrote. 'They have made central Sydney look like a scrapdealer's yard.'
Another said, 'As great an innovation that they are, e-scooters and bikes are going to cause more and more problems in the hands of idiots and the immature.'
'I've seen the same with idiots seeing how fast they can go through the crowded pedestrian walkways of Barangaroo and Darling Harbour,' a third wrote.
Spokespeople for the City of Sydney and NSW Transport Minister John Graham declined to comment.
NSW Police and Lime have been contacted for comment.
The proliferation of share bikes and scooters in Australian cities in recent years has sparked growing concerns about cluttered footpaths, anti-social behaviour and safety of pedestrians and riders.
Last week a 14-year-old boy died in hospital after he was critically hurt falling from an e-bike in Arncliffe Park, in Sydney's south.
Earlier this year, The Daily Telegraph reported e-bike and e-scooter injuries had risen 300 per cent at The Children's Hospital at Westmead, from six in 2023 to 24 last year,
The majority of incidents involved riders hitting stationary cars or being hit by moving vehicles.
While Lime, the longest-operating 'micro-mobility company' in Australia and New Zealand, states riders must be over 18, the bikes have exploded in popularity among children and teens who flout the rules and rarely wear helmets.
More than one million e-bikes and e-scooters are used by residents in NSW and the government is now preparing regulations in response to an inquiry that examined their use across the state.
The inquiry found that while shared e-bike operators claimed to have technology and staff to manage parking and pathway obstruction issues, the reality was far different, as problems increasingly persisted.
It was recommended the state work with councils to include e-bike parking on roads and allocate existing car spaces for e-mobility parking in some areas.
Mr Graham said in a statement last month there was still a lot of work to do, but a sensible set of rules would promote the benefits of e-bikes and e-scooters while protecting the safety of everyone sharing the paths and roads with them.
'We recognise the community's concerns, particularly around device modification, fire risk, discarded shared e-bikes and poor rider behaviour — which is why we're taking action,' he said.
The City of Sydney estimates more than 3000 e-bikes are available for hire in the city, and another 1500 are being used by citizens and food delivery services.
Designated parking areas for e-bikes have been allocated in some parts of the city but only accommodate up to 25 bikes, leaving areas cluttered with bikes.
In April, the City supported a recommendation made by the Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee to reallocate road space for bike parking to maintain footpath space along Victoria Street.
The committee found the number of food delivery and share bikes parked on footpaths had significantly increased.
A City of Sydney spokesman previously said about 60,000 share bike trips were taken each week in their local government area, with 20,000 trips starting or ending around Victoria Street.
The City provided 13 designated share bike parking areas on footpaths last year that accommodate between four and 10 bikes and was working with operators to update its apps so users parked in designated areas.
The first on-street bike parking was implemented in Haymarket, with nine other sites approved for installation in the coming weeks that will accommodate up to 25 bikes in Potts Point, Millers Point, Chippendale, Zetland and Paddington.
'Data provided by share bike companies show that in 2024 more than 20,000 share bike trips started or ended on Victoria St or on nearby streets,' a spokesman said.
'We are proposing to add a further four designated on-street bicycle parking areas on a trial basis in Potts Point.
'While the City of Sydney doesn't have any regulatory control nor enforceable powers, we are engaging with bike share operators so they can address the concerns of the community regarding the parking of their assets.'
Some councils have already taken action on safety concerns.
In March, Waverley Council — which covers suburbs including Bondi, Bronte, and Dover Heights — announced bikes would be impounded if the operators did not reach an agreement to make their use safer and better regulated.
Lime and HelloRide subsequently signed onto the memorandum of understanding, which set a maximum number of bikes available at any one point in time, provided designated parking locations and restricted parking zones, and implemented geofencing technology to define no-go zones.
Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh declared at the time that 'enough is enough'.
'While share bikes are a State Government responsibility, Council will not stand by and wait for somebody to be injured,' he said.
'Impounding bikes that are causing a safety risk will immediately reduce the likelihood of harm to residents and visitors.'
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