7 days ago
More than 30 illegal e-bike riders fined following four-week-long police crackdown on Sydney's Northern Beaches
A month-long police operation cracking down on illegal e-bike riders in Sydney's Northern Beaches has resulted in more than 30 copping fines, and about 60 cautions issued.
E-bikes are bicycles with an electric motor that assist pedalling for the rider and make cycling easier.
Two types of e-bikes are permitted in NSW - power-assisted pedal cycles and electrically power-assisted cycles.
The crackdown, led as part of Operation Kilowatt, uncovered illegally modified bikes in which the motor has become the main source of propelling the bike rather than the pedals.
'Parents need to understand e-bike riders are subject to the same rules as bicycle riders. They need to make sure the e-bike is not unlawfully modified and complies with the law,' Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner David Driver said in a NSW Police statement.
'Police commonly see illegal and modified e-bikes where the motor becomes the primary source of propelling the bike – essentially making it a motorbike. The use of unlawfully modified e-bikes create a significant risk when used in pedestrian or heavy traffic areas.
'Young people and adults need to understand these risks when riding an e-bike, so they do not become a danger to themselves and others.'
Police conducted 305 e-bike compliance checks, identifying 28 illegal e-bikes which did not comply with current legislation due to adjustments or modification.
Officers issued 32 fines for a number of offences including not wearing a secured helmet or using a mobile phone while riding.
NSW Police said there were "29 warnings given to young people under 14 and 29 young people aged over 14 were issued with official warnings under the Young Offenders Act".
"More than 30 people aged over 18 were given cautions," it said.
Community members have voiced their concerns over the vehicles, which have been involved in several serious injury incidents and even a couple of fatalities in recent years.
According to a St Vincent's Hospital report, more than 500 e-bike riders were taken to emergency rooms due to road incidents between 2022 and 2024.
In 2024, 48 injuries related to e-bikes and e-scooters were recorded at Westmead Children's Hospital and Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick.
A 32-year-old woman in central NSW was killed in March after she was involved in a crash with a ute while riding her e-scooter on the Great Western Highway in Lithgow.
In Queensland, data released in June revealed four people had died in e-scooter accidents on Queensland roads so far this year.
