Meet Stephen—he’s a Brisbane father who uses a pedal-assisted e-cargo bike to ferry one of his three cycling boys to school.
He isn’t a hooning teenager, and his 30kg Tern bike isn’t an unregistered motorcycle. But under new legislation proposed by the Queensland Government, his daily commute could soon be effectively outlawed.
The Transport and Other Legislation (Managing E-mobility Use and Protecting Our Communities) Amendment Bill 2026 is being sold as a necessary safety measure to curb rising e-mobility injuries, fatalities, and illegal high-powered devices.
But active transport advocates and local riders are calling it a blunt-force instrument that erases the line between safety-certified bicycles and illegal, high-powered motor vehicles.
A major flashpoint in the legislation is a proposed 10km/h speed limit on shared paths and footpaths.
The proposed crackdown also includes that all e-bike cyclists have a minimum riding age of 16 and a mandatory Class C learner licence (costing $77.55 for three years). The police will be able to seize and crush non-compliant bikes on a first offence.
If passed, the Bill threatens to make Queensland the most hostile jurisdiction for e-bikes in the developed world.
Stephen said for families carrying children or groceries on heavy cargo bikes, it’s also physically dangerous. Experts call this the “instability zone” for cargo bikes.
“Trying to balance a heavy bike with wriggly children at that speed is a physical challenge,” Stephen said.
“A cargo bike that can’t move faster than a brisk walk on a shared path isn’t a car replacement anymore—it’s an expensive novelty.”
Beyond the immediate rules, the Bill’s drafting creates a “resale cliff”—with new EN15194 labelling mandates, reclassification of non-compliant bikes as motorcycles (full rego, CTP, road-only use, helmets), and retailer fines up to $6,700 for sales to under-16s or non-compliant gear.
By mandating specific, updated labelling requirements and rigid adherence to the EN 15194 standard, tens of thousands of currently legal, safety-certified bikes could be rendered illegal overnight.
For parents like Stephen, the only alternative to a shared path is often dicing with heavy vehicles on 60km/h arterial roads.
He points to the Wilmington Street intersection off Enoggera Road as a daily hazard.
“I frequently have to position my bike to shield the children when we cross, watching traffic from both directions because drivers fail to yield,” he said.
“I’d never wish the experience of riding in 60km/h traffic on anyone. It’s a sad thing to have to teach your children—that they need to anticipate grown-ups making mistakes.”
For families who have invested thousands of dollars in e-mobility, the financial penalty is significant.
“This feels like a basic error to have made after such a protracted inquiry,” Stephen said.
“We are looking at a mass exodus of retailers and a lot of families left holding a bike they can’t legally ride. It’s a hidden tax on people who, in good faith, invested in a healthy, sustainable way of getting around.”
The parliamentary committee is expected to deliver its findings on May 8.
Public hearings and briefings for the legislation are scheduled for Friday, April 24 and Monday, April 27.
Have your say about the e-bike laws: do they go too far or are they what Queensland needs? Email [email protected].
