My eyes and ears have been firmly fixed to the goings on of the proposed Queensland E-Mobility Bill over the past month or so and we are deep in the trenches of what can only be described as a war with the Queensland Government over this issue.
After handing down the proposed Bill in the worst possible form it could have taken the Queensland Government received an almighty backlash from advocacy groups, tourism operators and associations, the RACQ, various Queensland councils, bicycle retailers, the Queensland Law Society, Uber Eats, Doordash and many, many others.
The Bill, which proposes a licensing requirement for all e-mobility devices (including the compliant ones), a 10km/h speed limit on all Queensland footpaths and bikeways, a blanket ban on use by anyone under the age of 16yo and a raft of other ridiculous, draconian propositions would have ripple effects throughout the Queensland community and economy.
People from the organisations listed above who spoke out against this outrageous proposal in the latest public hearing are to be particularly commended. There were approximately 2500 submissions made to amend the Bill with an estimated 90% in favour of scrapping the worst components like the age restrictions, licensing requirements and 10km/h speed limits on footpaths and (particularly) bikeways.
To be clear, if the Bill went through in its current form, Queensland would:
- Effectively be kicking bicycles off cycling infrastucture built for the exact purpose of keeping cyclists off busy roads. A 10km/h would render traveling along the bikeways untenable. I refer to bicycles because legal, compliant ebikes are characteristically just a bicycle having a max assisted speed of just 25km/h and often being slower than an analogue bicycle. Bikeways ARE transport routes and very legitimate ones at that. A lot of them were advocated for by cycling groups to keep cyclists safe from psychopaths and ignoramuses in cars. Their increased use by active transport devices and network expansion must be encouraged and funded. No blockers should be put in the way of active transport growing as a mode.
- Locking thousands of Queenslanders and visitors who may not be eligible to hold a Queensland drivers licence out of affordable, viable transport.
- Have a devastating effect on Queensland tourism. Especially in places like the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail where tour operators have invested hundreds of thousand of dollars and towns rely on a steady flow of income from accommodation, restaurants and attractions. Of course, these effects are wider than that with places like Cairns also cited as being acutely affected.
- Destroy the food delivery industry in Queensland.
- Serve as a dangerous template for destroying active transport in other states and jurisdictions.
As a recap, legal, compliant ebikes are characteristically just a bicycle because:
- The motor cuts out at 25km/h.
- The motor cuts out if you stop pedaling.
- They are very often slower than an unpowered bicycle.The motor is used for torque not speed – ie they just help people get up hills and carry loads more easily.
Make absolutely no mistake, this proposed Bill is a spiteful, vindictive, incompetent, ideologically and/or financially motivated attempt to kill off active transport in Queensland under the guise of a public safety campaign. It was designed with little to no thought or care of its ripple effects and with only one malicious goal in mind – to kill active transport in Queensland. It does nothing to address the problem of the already illegal e-motorcycles seen in the mainstream news and punishes those just trying to lawfully get through their day.
Legal ebikes have been the missing link that has finally enticed people out of their cars and to start riding instead, especially when a car trip is really not necessary. They are what’s given cycling the critical mass required to become a viable, legitimate mode of transport – culture around bikes beginning to change, demand for more bikeways by more people, etc. This LNP Queensland government doesn’t like that.
The very conversation around even proposing this legislation let alone actually implementing it is dumb and disingenuous because every other civilized place on Earth is moving toward active and public transport uptake including legal ebikes while Queensland is trying to do the opposite. Australian cities are not too spread out, large or whatever other shit excuses people come out with – we are perfectly suited to growing active transport including legal ebikes.
The battle for the life of active transport and cycling more broadly in Queensland is far, far from over.
Stay tuned for more, ride safe and see you there sometime.