E-bikes blocking the path of pedestrians will be substantially cleaned up under rules to establish marked parking bays on the streets and at the kerbside.
The explosion in the number of shared e-bikes cluttering footpaths in the Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs has frustrated many in our community.
A $6.6 million funding program announced today will grant up to $200,000 per application to local councils and other public authorities to deliver e-bike parking and improve rider behaviour.
Councils will have the power to decide ‘no-go’ and ‘go-slow’ zones for shared and private e-bikes and will be able to choose which operators can set up in their area.
The Minns Labor Government is the first in Australia to create a comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure e-bikes, pedestrians and businesses can begin sharing public spaces safely and without conflict.
Staged commencement of the new rules will occur in the coming months, giving councils and NSW Government land managers powers to set required parking zones and to penalise shared e-bike operators if they aren’t used.
To support this initiative, Transport for NSW will aim to deliver 250 parking bays for 2,500 shared e-bikes this year.
The new rules build on a series of e-bike safety initiatives by the Minns Labor Government, including:
- Powers for NSW Police to seize and crush illegal, privately-owned e-bikes.
- Reducing the 500-watt e-bike power limit introduced by the Liberals to 250-watts.
- Introducing world-leading Standard to ensure e-bikes are pedalled and legal power output cannot be tampered with.
- Proposing a minimum age limit to ride an e-bike.
- NSW Police Strike Force Puma targeting dangerous e-bike and e-motorbike rideouts.
- Imposing strict new safety standards on the sale of lithium-ion batteries.
- Banning converted e-bikes from trains and Sydney Metro services to reduce the risk of fires.
The new Sharing Scheme Grant Program being launched by the Minns Labor Government will allow authorities to deliver the marked bays on streets and in appropriate zones at the kerbside.
Operators are funding the program through a 60 cent-fee paid to Transport for NSW on each shared e-bike trip.
There are 16 local council areas playing host to shared bike schemes from the City of Sydney, Inner West and North Sydney to Canterbury-Bankstown, Burwood and Parramatta.
Transport for NSW is able to revoke an operator’s approval for failing to meet the minimum standards and issue penalties of up to $55,000 if they do not comply with a removal order, plus $5,500 for each day the offence continues.
The NSW Government has trialled marked parking bays with considerable success in reducing kicked over bikes and blocked footpaths by half.
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
“NSW has embraced e-bikes and shared e-bikes, which is a good thing, but we are not willing to stand around and let the wild west scenes we inherited go on any longer.
“Pedestrians have been crying out for order and for their footpaths back – we’ve heard them and we’re responding with nation-leading rules and backing it with an industry-funded grant program to end the conflict.
“We already know properly marked parking bays reduce kicked over bikes and blocked footpaths by half and now we want the 16 councils to provide them in the areas of most conflict and complaint.
“It is time the Coalition dropped their long-time antipathy to sensible rules on e-bikes and lend their support to this best-practice framework.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Marjorie O’Neill said:
“Shared e-bikes are a great, healthy, affordable way to get around, but the clutter is causing chaos.
“Poorly parked shared e-bikes have been a pain point for too long, causing major safety concerns particularly for parents with prams, people with low or no vision, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
“Funding councils to deliver more parking bays is a practical, evidence-based solution to help give riders and operators a clear place to leave their bikes – in order and out of the way.”
Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said:
“Every day, more and more trips are taken on shared e-bikes across Sydney – they are now a regular and preferred transport choice for thousands of people.
“We know that more needs to be done to ensure that growth is well supported: people want and need better places to park, and communities rightly expect shared e-bikes to be better managed.
“The new grant program is critical to allowing councils and state government land managers to tackle poor behaviours.
“It will make it easier for people using shared e-bikes to identify better places to park and ensuring share bike planning is integrated with our streets and transport services.
“This will be backed with new powers for councils to issue operators with infringements for poorly parked devices.
“Transport is also accelerating the roll out of share bike parking bays around transport hubs and stations. We’re aiming to have 250 bays available by late this year, with 62 already in delivery.”