Sydney's streets are being overwhelmed by an 'e-bike epidemic', with shared bikes cluttering footpaths and pedestrians crying out for relief. The New South Wales (NSW) government has stepped in, announcing a £3.4 million funding package to introduce dedicated parking zones for these e-bikes.
The initiative will benefit 16 local councils across Sydney, who can each receive up to £100,000 to implement designated parking areas on streets and kerbsides. This comes as the number of shared e-bikes in Australia has quadrupled in less than two years, with over 20,000 now operating in Sydney alone.
NSW Transport Minister John Graham acknowledged the growth of shared e-bike schemes but stressed the need for control: "We're not willing to stand around and let these 'wild west scenes' continue." The government will finance this programme through a 60-cent fee levied on each shared e-bike trip, which operators will likely absorb into user fees.
Local councils will also gain expanded powers, including the ability to establish 'no-go' zones for both shared and private e-bikes. They can penalise operators for non-compliance with fines reaching up to £28,000 (A$55,000) plus £2,800 (A$5,500) per day.
Several councils have already piloted shared parking schemes, while Transport for NSW has trialled 190 e-bike bays at train and metro stations. The agency aims for 250 bays by late this year, with initial trials showing marked bays can reduce e-bike-related incidents by half.
This crackdown on e-bikes is part of a broader safety drive in NSW, following a surge in injuries and a major incident involving dozens of e-bikes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Authorities have also been granted powers to seize private e-bikes exceeding 25km/h speeds, but a minimum age for e-bike riders remains undetermined.