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Queensland’s Transport Minister has put the onus for e-bike and e-scooter safety back on parents, weeks after two boys died in crashes in the state’s south-east.
Speaking in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast, a suburb away from where eight-year-old Zeke Hondow died after a head-on crash with a 15-year-old rider, Brent Mickelberg acknowledged community concern about enforcement of existing laws.
“My request to parents would be to consider the welfare of your children, and don’t go and buy that $3000 e-bike or e-scooter that cannot be used legally other than in your backyard,” Mickelberg said.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg.Credit: Jamila Filippone
Two days after Hondow’s death, a 15-year-old boy died after crashing an electric dirt bike on Broadbeach Boulevard on the Gold Coast just after 3am. That bike retailed for about $10,000 and had a top speed of 95km/h.
“There are definitely areas where we would like to see improvement in the existing laws, but the existing laws are already not being followed, and they are difficult for the police to enforce,” Mickelberg said.
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An inquiry into e-mobility safety and use in Queensland was expected to deliver its report no later than March 2026, and the minister said the government would not rush into action before this.
“What we want to do through the parliamentary inquiry is ensure that whatever we put in place is both workable and sustainable,” he said.
“What the police tell me is the existing framework is difficult for them to enforce. Many of the instances that we have seen, tragically, in recent times, have been people who have not been following the existing laws.
“What we need to ensure is that whatever laws are put in place, that the police can enforce [them], and that people know what the laws are so they can do the right thing as well.”
When asked for his message to parents grieving children killed in e-bike crashes between now and March, Mickelberg said: “When any young person loses their life on our roads or using immobility devices, it’s a tragedy.
“As a father of four young children, I can only imagine the grief of families who are living through that nightmare,” he added.
He insisted that enforcement of existing laws would continue over the summer.
“The government’s role in ensuring that we put in place an appropriate regulatory framework when it comes to personal mobility devices is to make sure we get the balance right,” he said.
To be used in public, e-bikes must be predominantly pedal-powered, with a small electric motor providing assistance only, up to 250 watts, and the motor must cut out at 25km/h.
The Queensland Police Service has launched Operation X-ray Surety to enforce e-bike compliance.
On Friday, Queensland’s peak cycling lobby has welcomed recent action by the Office of Fair Trading, which warned suppliers of their obligations to only sell compliant bikes.
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