Queensland could introduce sweeping new restrictions on e‑scooters and e‑bikes – including age and speed limits, licence requirements and police seizure powers – under recommendations handed down by a parliamentary inquiry.
The LNP-dominated parliamentary committee tabled its recommendations, including a ban for riders under 16, in parliament on Wednesday.
Those aged 16 or over would need to hold a Queensland learners’ licence, meaning they would have had to complete road rule training before being allowed to ride.
“The committee grappled with this issue, particularly with respect to children under 16 years of age who currently ride compliant e-bikes legally,” the committee wrote.
“We considered a range of alternatives to this proposal, including safety training at some schools providing education and rider identification plates for students, which has positively changed rider behaviour and should be implemented as a solution.
“Younger riders generally have less developed judgment and decision-making capacity, and limited understanding of road rules, and the prevalence of illegal devices further complicates safe use.
“A clear, consistent age requirement provides a strong and simple framework for improving safety.”
The committee also recommended a two‑tiered regulatory system, drawing a sharp distinction between compliant low‑speed devices and high‑powered or modified machines.
Devices capable of travelling faster than 25km/h would be reclassified as a motorcycle or moped, requiring registration, compulsory third-party insurance, a licensed rider and be used on roads only.
The committee also recommended footpath speed limits for e-scooters and e-bikes be reduced to 10 km/h.
“At present, PMDs [scooters] may travel up to 12km/h on footpaths, while e-bikes may ride at their default speed of 25km/h,” the committee noted.
“This inconsistency creates confusion. The committee considers there is a clear case for all e-mobility devices to be limited to 10km/h on footpaths.”
A new offence would be created for riding near pedestrians “without due care and attention”, and local councils would be encouraged to impose even lower limits in high‑traffic areas, such as shopping precincts and near schools.
The committee urged the government to invest in separated infrastructure, including dedicated e‑mobility paths and parking areas.
Police would be also given expanded enforcement powers, including the ability to seize illegal e‑mobility devices on a first offence.
“The law should also enable QPS to immediately dispose of or destroy such devices,” the committee found.
“Further, the cost and responsibility for storing and disposing of these devices should not fall to the public. Fines and penalties should be set at a level that fully recovers these expenses.”
A spate of house fires has prompted a recommendation for Queensland to lobby the commonwealth for national safety standards for lithium-ion batteries and to improve disposal systems and expanded public education campaigns on safe charging and storage.
The committee also called for tougher retail laws, including mandatory safety standards, anti‑tampering rules and an end to the sale of high‑powered devices labelled “for private property use only”.
The committee received more than 1200 submissions to its inquiry.
In their statement of reservation, opposition Labor MPs said they did not support all the committee’s recommendations or comments within the report, but did not elaborate.
“The Queensland Labor Opposition reserves its right to articulate further views during the debate of legislation,” they said.
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