A major crackdown on illegal e-bikes has been announced by the State Government, but the Opposition says the government is worried about the wrong things.
Over the weekend NSW Minister for Transport John Graham announced legislation which will give police expanded powers to remove illegal electric bikes from the roads.
The powers would see NSW Police able to seize and crush illegal e-bikes.
The State Government is also investing in a number of ‘dyno units’ that can measure the power output of an e-bike to see if it is beyond the legal maximum.
The portable testing units can determine whether an e-bike’s power assistance cuts out at 25km/h as per the current NSW law.
If an e-bike is found to be non-compliant at the roadside test, police will have the power to crush the bike to ensure it does not return to the road.
“We’ve heard loud and clear the concern in the community about souped-up e-bikes and the anti-social behaviour that seems to go hand in hand with them,” Graham said.
“Riders and owners of illegal e-bikes should now hear us loud and clear: If you are breaking the rules, and your bike does not meet the very clear specifications of a pedal-assisted e-bike, expect it to be removed from your possession and crushed. Illegal bikes will end up as a twisted wreck so they can’t rejoin the road. We will ensure e-bikes behave as bicycles not motorbikes.”
NSW Shadow Transport Minister Natalie Ward has drafted an e-bike proposal which sees three groups of riders targeted with a compulsory licence system to curb dangerous rider behaviour.
The three cohorts of riders targeted would be those under 18, food delivery drivers and share hire services.
Ward said the government is too preoccupied with voltage instead of curbing the real issue, rider behaviour.
“It’s about accountability for behaviour, understanding the road rules and knowing that you have responsibility if you are on the road on one of these motorised devices,” Ward said.
“We think it starts with that accountability, and we’ve got good community feedback on that.
“If you can’t identify the bike, you can’t deal with the problem.”
Data shows that 233 people were seriously injured in e-bike incidents in the first seven months of 2025, which is up from 84 instances in 2022.
“That means eight people a week are being hospitalised with serious injuries and of course there has been a number of deaths in NSW and interstate,” Ward said.
“That eight people a week is a huge number.
“Reported crashes, and they are the ones that actually are reported, jump from 79 to 221 in the same period. That means those injuries have surged, the stats say 375 per cent over five years…
“The numbers alone show the serious injuries, and they are not just a scraped knee from falling of your bikes or a grazed arm, these are very serious injuries.”
In response, Graham said his government’s reform goes way beyond the Liberal plan.
“This reform goes far past the NSW Liberals’ idea for tiny number plates that validates and entrenches the most dangerous e-bikes,” he said.
“Labor will ban these dangerous electric motorbikes while the Liberals have pledged to licence them.”
