Crakanthorp presses NSW for faster e-bike reforms after safety complaints

newy.com.au – Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp has written to the NSW Minister for Transport, John Graham, urging the NSW Government to expedite further reforms to e-bike regulation after residents reported unsafe riding in public spaces.

The letter comes as debate grows across New South Wales about how to police and regulate e-bikes, e-scooters and other e-mobility devices on roads and shared paths, including illegal or modified bikes that can behave more like motorbikes. A NSW parliamentary inquiry in February 2025 examined regulatory gaps, enforcement and rider safety.

In the letter, Crakanthorp told Graham that “Residents across Newcastle are contacting my office on a daily basis to report unsafe e-bike use in public spaces.” He said constituents had been injured after “irresponsible or inexperienced riding, particularly in shared pedestrian areas”.

He wrote that the government had begun reforms after the parliamentary inquiry, but said the community was seeking further action “as a matter of urgency”, without detailing specific changes. While describing e-bikes as an effective alternative mode of transport, he warned their use posed “unacceptable risks” without comprehensive and enforceable regulation.

Crakanthorp repeated the call on Facebook, saying he had seen “an uptick in communication from constituents reporting unsafe e-bike usage” and that “this cannot be at the cost of public safety”. “We need urgent action to regulate the use of e-bikes,” he wrote.

The parliamentary inquiry noted NSW’s rules had diverged from the national definition after a 2023 regulation permitted electrically power-assisted cycles up to 500 watts, compared with the federal standard of 250 watts, while retaining a motor cut-off speed of 25 km/h. The report also recorded evidence about the spread of so-called fat bikes and the difficulties of enforcement when devices were modified or did not fit clear definitions.

In a December 2025 ministerial release, the NSW Government said it would move to reduce the maximum legal power output of e-bikes in NSW to 250 watts and review the definition of an e-bike in road rules to close loopholes for “motorcycle-level devices”. Graham said: “This is about making sure the bike your teenager rides behaves like a bike, not a motorbike,” and the release said the updated rules were expected to take effect “within months”.

NSW Police Force launched Operation Shore Safe on Thursday 23 October 2025, deploying up to eight solo motorcycle officers and other resources across coastal communities from the Central Coast to Port Stephens during the busy summer period. Police reported 386 legal processes and 16 charges since October, and Newcastle-Hunter Sector Highway Patrol chief inspector Thomas Barnes warned: “Because even small modifications can make them unsafe and illegal.”

On Friday 30 January 2026, police charged two teenage boys after alleging riders on illegal e-bikes and dirt bikes threw projectiles that damaged five police vehicles on the Central Coast, injuring an officer. The boys, aged 16 and 17, were refused bail to appear before a children’s court, police said.

Crakanthorp said he looked forward to a response, as Operation Shore Safe continues through to February and the government finalises the planned e-bike rule changes.