The Queensland government has introduced a bill to crack down on e-scooters and e-bikes but several councils have spoken out about age restrictions, licence rules and speed limits
Weren’t the RACQ in favour of this in the first place? Anyway it’s nice to see pushback from councils who are more likely to be listened to.
Yeah I thought they were, but I’m not sure. I know the Motor Trades Association was. Though they have apparently backpedalled on that hard, and are acting as though all they wanted was to make sure only safe, legal ebikes are used. RACQ may be the same, or that may have authentically been their position the whole time.
Happy some councils are speaking up about this. Hopefully state government don’t go through with this.
I think at this point they’re guaranteed not to go through with the worst provisions. The licence and speed limit rules are guaranteed to go, and the minimum age is very likely to go too.
Unfortunately that leaves in the RBT for cyclists and the increased penalties for failure to wear a helmet, and the ability to force riders of legal ebikes or even regular bikes that police suspect might be ebikes, to stop and wait for police to inspect and check it’s legal. And the ability for them to seize it on mere suspicion of being noncompliant.
But with Brisbane City Council, Gold Coast Council, and Noosa Shire Council, as well as the RACQ all united against the 10 km/h provisions and variously against either the minimum age or the licensing provisions (which themselves entail a minimum age), it’s basically a guarantee that those get dropped.
Also: Vision Australia can get fucked. I have a cousin who has been totally blind since birth and have enormous respect for blind people. But Vision Australia suggesting the 10 km/h limit doesn’t go far enough shows that they have no fucking idea what they’re talking about and are arrogantly putting themselves ahead of millions of other Australians. They’re happy to take away others’ freedoms despite no actually evidence that there’s even a safety problem that needs to be addressed. Fuck them.
RBT for cyclists
Always been the case if you have a license, no?
the ability for them to seize it on mere suspicion of being noncompliant.
This is a significant problem, I’m fine with testing in situ (or speed gun registering 40+ on the flat with video evidence of not pedaling or some such well defined criteria), but that allows arbitrarily taking potentially a person’s primary mode of transport.
It also hands the entire market to manufacturers of e-bikes leaving DIYers who want repairable vehicles fucked. Innocent until proven guilty.
Always been the case if you have a license, no?
You’ve never needed a licence to ride a bike before.
But no, the laws around RBTs have always specified motor vehicles. They can breathalyse if they have reasonable suspicion, or after a crash, but not randomly.
that allows arbitrarily taking potentially a person’s primary mode of transport.
Indeed. I don’t know if this is the case, but I’ve heard that with a car, they can just slap a defect notice on it and let you drive away to fix it in your own time. But apparently ebikes are too dangerous and need to be seized immediately? Upon mere suspicion‽
stupid government. yes lets restrict teenagers and take away thier fredom to move around easily without the need for a car. they could make it safer for ebike and escooter riders by dealing with cars becauseng so dangerous. but no.
Another week another Zagorath rant about ebikes. 😮💨 What are we up to? 12 now?
I remind you quantity of posts does not make a quality argument.
