State to introduce new restrictions, but testing devices not yet sourced
New restrictions on e-bikes and e-scooters in Queensland will come into force within months, but the state has yet to procure testing devices or finalize the system it will use to seize suspected illegal devices off the streets.
New laws come into force on July 1 This means that anyone under the age of 16 or without a driver’s license will no longer be able to use the e-mobility device. A 10 km/h speed limit will also be introduced for drivers on pedestrian paths and shared roads.
The new laws will be accompanied by a crackdown on illegal devices such as e-bikes and electric motorcycles without speed limiters, Department for Transport deputy director-general Andrew Mahon told a parliamentary committee on Monday.
Mahon said the department expects to use compliance testing machines like this: NSW’s “dyno units”Which measures a vehicle’s power output and controls the 25 km/h limiter at permanent locations across the state.
“We don’t have them at this stage, but we will provide the police with these devices to assist with testing and we are currently working on that process,” he said.
The ministry also did not know how many testers it could buy or how much it would cost.
In NSW, the state government purchased three units that it initially promised would be mobile.
Mahon said Queensland’s devices would be in a permanent location and seized e-bikes and e-scooters would only be tested if the driver was prosecuted.
“If the device is seized, we need to make sure we can retrieve the device at the nearest police station, and we need to make sure we can transport and store these devices so they are not damaged and can be returned if they are,” Mahon said.
he said upcoming edition would be “a challenge for both” [police and department] Agencies,” he said, adding that the ministry was also considering contracting with a third party to transport the seized devices.
Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman said officers seizing e-bikes and e-scooters would “make a decision based on exactly what the risk is to individuals, to our wider community and to our own officers”.
Both Mahon and Wildman said new laws need to be in place before both agencies realize how big the problem of non-compliant e-mobility devices is.
Wildman said officers would incorporate e-mobility policing into their normal operations to improve road safety.
“You will see the sanctions increase… [then] “This situation needs to be eliminated again through training, sanctions and joint operations,” he said.
“We’ll move on to what the community’s sentiment is, whether it’s in the disaster management space, crime prevention space, or road management space.”
Mahon said the department is also considering exemptions. 10 km/h speed limit for some off-road facilities those defined as shared paths rail trails and public mountain bike trails.
The committee evaluating the bill is expected to submit a report on May 8.
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