WA Police seize and crush dozens of e-bikes classified as illegal motorbikes in state’s dramatic crackdown on hoons
Western Australian police have crushed more than 50 seized e-bikes during patrols north of Perth as part of the state’s dramatic crackdown on illegal riders.
Joondalup Acting Superintendent Scott Gillis told 2GB on Tuesday that most e-bikes in Western Australia were legal, but many were unsuitable and illegal to ride on the roads because they were classed as motorcycles.
“If they go more than 25km per hour or have the ability to do so, they are classed as motorcycles,” he said.
“As soon as they hit the road, they have to register, they have to get a license, you have to have a licence.
“(In Western Australia) we have legislation that provides for unlicensed motorcycles to be seized by the police and crushed.”
The footage released by the police shows that they were not joking; several e-drivable vehicles are crushed on the screen.
Mr Gillis also took aim at a group of people who tried to justify the actions of the above-mentioned cyclists as “just kids having fun”.
He said the problem goes beyond kids riding bikes with friends, throwing rocks at cars and spraying sand onto highways with traffic traveling nearly 60 miles per hour.
“It’s a very, very dangerous thing,” he said.
“We spotted one on one of our main seaside footpaths over the weekend, traveling at 75 kilometers per hour, weaving in and out of people.
“Unfortunately, we have had pedestrians killed by these e-rideables, and this has gone beyond just people having fun.”
Mr Giles said officers often faced resistance from parents when seizing bikes, with around 47 per cent of crushed e-bikes belonging to children aged 12 to 16.
He said some parents pay up to $8,000 for an e-drivable vehicle, but become more understanding when they see social media footage of what their children are up to.
“They realize their behavior is very dangerous and could potentially save their child’s life,” he said.
“We’re really reinforcing at this point that parents need to be aware of the legalities of this.
“We encourage them to go online, find out what they can and can’t do, and if your child is pushing their way out the front door, then they’re up to no good.”
Mr Giles said that since e-bikes began to be seized and crushed there had been a significant increase in the number of advertisements for the devices on the market.
A Monash University report found the number of e-bike deaths across Australia is difficult to quantify, but between 2016 and 2020, 14 were recorded and more than 2700 people were hospitalized due to injuries sustained from e-ride vehicles.
Last year, a report at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney found that NSW e-bike and e-scooter injuries increased by 300 per cent.
