Queensland has passed tough new laws on ebikes and e-scooters. What do they mean for riders, and will the world follow?

Well, the utterly insane new e-mobility laws have come into effect in Queensland now. The above article highlights just how ridiculous the situation is when you look at the road death toll. Some of the more pertinent points are:

“How many people die as a result of ebikes in Queensland?

Queensland recorded its worst road toll in 16 years in 2025, with 306 deaths. There have already been 206 fatalities in 2026, a 7.9% increase on the same time last year, according to Department of Transport and Main Roads data.

Almost all of them were people either driving or a passenger in a car, riding a motorbike or killed in a crash involving a heavy freight vehicle.

There have been three fatalities involving people using a non-compliant e-mobility device in 2026.

There is no specific category covering legal ebikes, but an inquiry into the bill heard that just one person had been killed in a crash involving a legal ebike in Queensland in 2025, a 79-year-old woman who was hit by a car on Bribie Island in July.

In March two teenagers died after an ebike crash with a motorbike south of Brisbane, though police could not say at the time whether their ebike was legal.”

The corollary of that is, compared to the woeful and ever increasing road death toll caused by cars, trucks and motorbikes, virtually nobody on or around legal pedal assisted e-bikes was ever in danger but because the regressive, out of touch Queensland govt doesn’t like active transport and is friends with the car industry who feel financially and culturally threatened by an uptick in e-bike use, these laws were forced in via our inadequate unicameral parliamentary system. And remember that no other place on Earth besides the likes of North Korea has bike laws as regressive as these.

Most of us have at some point experienced the, well frankly, bullshit that is cars parked in a bike lane. A lane clearly marked to separate bikes from cars and yet we have people legally using these lanes as free vehicle storage in public spaces. It brings into question the seriousness of the commitment to keeping bike riders safe that the authorities who created the bike lanes in the first place have. Are they simply paying lip service to active transport users? If so, they need to do much, much better.

Other states have banned parking cars in bike lanes and it’s time Queensland did too.

This petition doesn’t have a lot of time left on it so if you hate cars parked in bike lanes, now is the time to get clicking and ticking. https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/petition-details/4457-26

Yes, I’m on a website posting rampage. Here’s another long write-up of another bikepacking trip I’ve managed to fit in before the weather gets too hot. Only a couple of weeks since the last one, this latest trip takes me deep into the D’Aguilar National Park to take in some of the best, steepest and most remote parts along with some self-supported camping. Have a read, pack a bike, go before the weather heats up.

Yep, time for another longer write-up. This time about bikepacking the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and how thinking small and local is sometimes a good thing when bikepacking. Check it out if you’re keen.

Brisbane City Council have provided some good but slightly vague high level plans to upgrade most of the Kedron Brook Bikeway and surrounding parks with a focus on flood proofing.

It all sounds great but some more detail would be even better and especially around what it means for cycling in Brisbane. Let’s remember that as well as the KBB being a popular destination for walking, running and other activities, it is also a major trunk route for active transport.

As such, it would be good to know what the plan is for KBB to keep that status and possibly even improve that aspect of it with things like extra lighting in some of the black spots.

The good news is that you can have your say on all this via a survey and community consultation sessions. Check the following for more info:

https://yoursay.brisbane.qld.gov.au/kedron-brook-vision-and-master-plan

Brisbane North BUG also have this very helpful piece with bike specific information.

For those who haven’t yet checked out the new Carpet Snake trail at Gap Creek, I can confirm it’s a truly great addition to the Brisbane trail network. (Yes, I forgot my water bottle 🙄). Thanks to everyone who made it happen especially given that I believe it was quite a long time coming.

Gothic Trail Cat approves 😉

It’s time once again for a downtempo day using trains for part of my ride. The Brompton is a perfect companion for rambling around Brisbane city and ducking into QAGOMA to see what’s new. Check it out.

I’ve mentioned previously that, whenever I can, I like to partake in the offerings of the Revolting podcast over at The Cycling Independent. I thought this week’s effort was worth a special mention as I found it particularly soothing to the ear.

For those who have never indulged, do yourselves a favour and sample the wares that Stevil and Robot are serving up if you enjoy interesting, sometimes spicy banter and razor sharp insights. Officially, it’s a cycling podcast but there’s no mention of races, gear reviews or performance tips. In fact, there’s barely a mention of our two wheeled magic carpets and, instead, discussion about all the other life, work, music and other stuff that happens every day around and with bikes.

Start with this week’s episode or go to one of the many, many previous ones. As at this writing Revolting is 240 episodes strong.

Brisbane Illustration Fair

I discovered this completely by chance but boy am I glad I did. The quality of the work on display is next level and was well worth a visit.

I know I’m posting this very late but if you have nothing to do this fine Sunday, then you have until 4pm to shoot down there. Support local artists by buying a t-shirt, some stickers, some prints or just soak in the creative vibes. All work is original and of the highest quality.

Jump on a bike, train (or stink box if you must) but head down to the Ekka Showgrounds now and you won’t be disappointed.

Brisbane Illustration Fair

Naked cycling: is it ever acceptable to ride a rental bike in the nude?

Meh, if it pisses off even one member of the current status quo, why not…

A new photo gallery and a write-up has landed in the main blog. It’s all about riding at night in Brisbane. Keep an eye on this one too as I’ll be adding more photos over time.

A few days ago, the final E-Mobility bill was passed through the Queensland parliament. It was disappointing as I suspected it would be but we did have a few wins. The blanket 10km/h shared path speed limit was watered down to affect only footpaths and whenever riding an e-device near pedestrians plus a few other small compromises via a flurry of last minute changes that were given no time for review but otherwise the core of the bill went through as is.

It’s blatantly obvious that this Queensland LNP government’s aim with this bill had nothing whatsoever to do with public safety as they claim (nothing in the bill addresses the illegal e-motorbikes) and everything to do with ideologically and purposely destroying legitimate active transport in Queensland because they don’t like it and their friends in the car and oil industries don’t like it. Hardly surprising for what is the worst Queensland government since the Joh era of the 1980’s.

Like many others, I’m still very angry that this state has been pushed backwards like this and word is that this won’t be the last we hear about this issue. For now though, I really don’t have any more energy to expend on it so I’ll be moving onto more positive bicycle subject matter but wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who was involved in advocating against the bill.

I guess you can’t win them all. Today, I did a small reconnaissance trip out of Woodford in the hope of finding an entrance into the Bellthorpe National Park without needing to ride along the D’Aguilar Highway. Alas, the entrance marked on RideWithGPS from Wright Road is no longer accessible and gated off. I scouted the general area for alternatives but without luck.

It was a good day nonetheless scampering about along Woodford’s minor roads and, of course, sampling Woodford’s finery in one of the many cafes.

If someone knows a way into Bellthorpe that I’ve missed, feel free to drop a comment in below.

If you enjoy fine quality, technical electric guitar playing with a bluesy, Western feel, People Are Machines by Skelephant may be for you.

It’s more than just that though. Chad Vickers creates an entire psychedelic landscape with his music that would be right at home in a Jim Jarmusch movie or as one of the tracks for The Lost Highway.

Lyrics are relatively scant on this album due to the guitar focus but where they exist, they’re ponderous and deep and well worth a second, third and fourth listen.

Night classes are in session once again. Time for another gravelly, off road evening jaunt. The air is finally cold as it should be. Riding after dark is always better for me in this climate. Maybe it’s the ambience, maybe I feel I need to exert less effort when the mercury dips. I’m not really sure. What I know is that it’s always a good time – an opportunity to escape for a while and exist just in this personal bubble. The noise stops, air rushes past, wheels turn, my body is a little more alive, there’s not much else. I could be riding a bike or I could be hurtling through space.

It’s a little sloshy out there after the recent rain but don’t let that stop you. Get after it while you can.

This music pick swings decidedly back into the heavier, noisier territory of my range of musical tastes with British punk outfit Irked on their album, The Grievance. The searing vocals are undoubtedly the driving force delivering meaningful, no-holds-barred lyrics. The whole package is held together with razor sharp guitaring to provide an interesting, varied aural landscape that will keep you on your toes throughout the album.

A new article with a new route has dropped in the main blog. This is a nice one for the start of the colder months as the clear skies provide great views from the top of Wild Horse Mountain.

I guess The Tea Party’s Splendor Solis album would most commonly be slotted into the category of psychedelic rock. It offers a lot more though. With an array of traditional electric guitars as well as more interesting instruments from around the world combined with a vocal sound that, to me, sits somewhere between Jim Morrison and Jimmy Page, Splendor Solis is really set apart from that category.

A remnant from my own youth, this album is embedded deeply into my psyche so I speak here about it with a certain bias but I’m fairly certain of its musical value and quality for others to enjoy. Other Tea Party albums never really hit the spot for me like this one so it stands as a bit of an anomaly for me but maybe that’s also what makes it special.

Update on the state of the e-mobility bill that is currently with the Queensland state government: While the 3000+ submissions to the committee and two protests seem to have had some impact on the bill, it is still highly problematic and will leave many people disadvantaged for no good reason.

The committee has recommended that the 10km/h blanket speed limit be dropped and replaces with a lower speed limit around pedestrians and on high traffic footpaths which is good but still leaves the issues of a licensing requirement for e-mobility devices and a complete ban on under 16s using e-devices.

This bill is continually being sold as a public safety measure when, in reality, it does nothing to improve public safety, penalises everyday people doing the right thing and does nothing to address the original source of the problem – the importation and sale of illegal, overpowered e-motorbikes. The loophole remains and the e-motorbikes will remain.

This whole bill needs to be scrapped. The Qld government needs to show the guts to admit they got it wrong and start again, targeting the real source of the problem. Sad times.

Last night was the final opportunity for people to show their objection to the proposed Queensland e-mobility laws which would effectively kill active transport in the state, send many businesses broke and negatively change the lives of many people with disabilities. There was a great turnout to the protest which moved from the Valley, over the Story Bridge and into Mowbray Park.

It is now in the hands of parliament to deliver a final version of the bill which we hope reflects the 3000+ submissions made to the inquiry, most of which objected to the proposed laws. That’s the highest number of submissions made to such an inquiry for over a decade.

Over to you parliament.