Riders will soon be banned from using converted e-bikes on NSWÂ trains with those caught breaking the rules to cop fines of up to $1,100.
It includes Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink, and Metro services as the state government cracks down on battery-related fires linked to e-bikes.Â
The ban comes into force on Saturday, November 1.
The new rules come after converted e-bikes were linked to two fires at Liverpool and Blacktown train stations this year.
Converted e-bikes are regular pedal bikes fitted with an electric motor and batteries, and because they’re constructed by amateurs, they pose a higher risk of blowing up due to poor wiring and second-hand parts.
NSW Transport secretary Josh Murray said it would make trains safer for riders.Â
‘They are about protecting lives and, importantly, protecting the continued safe operation of our metro and rail services,’ he said.
The ban covers all ‘fare-paid’ zones, such as trains and platforms, but does not extend to station concourses, lifts, or bike storage areas outside the fare gates.Â
Converted e-bikes will be banned on trains throughout NSW from Saturday, November 1
Converted e-bikes have caused fires at a number of Sydney train stations this year
Riders passing through community access gates won’t be impacted.Â
Fines will range from $400 to $1,100, matching penalties for petrol-powered devices.Â
Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean told Daily Mail that his organisation backed the move but made it clear that it was only temporary as they ‘advocate to put some better standards in place for all e-bikes’ in the next 12 months.
‘The incidents and couple of fires that have materialised were attributed to converted e-bikes so it was good that the government went through a process to make sure the highest element of risk was coming from those types of e-bikes,’ Mr McLean said.
‘We’re happy with it (conversion e-bike ban) but it’s not a perfect solution because there are some originally manufactured e-bikes which could pose a risk and they will be allowed.
‘But the good thing is all the up-to-date newer e-bikes will be allowed and they pose no safety risks. The downside is that there are some good e-bike conversion kits on the market (that will now be banned).Â
Mr McLean did admit, however, that the poor-quality e-bike conversion kits outweighed the good ones.
Sydney councils have previously called for a crackdown on e-bikes, arguing they have taken over footpaths and made pedestrians feel unsafe.
Regular e-bikes will not be banned (a woman rides a Lime bike in Darling HarbourÂ
A NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the use of electric-powered bicycles received submissions from more than a dozen local governments, including Northern Beaches Council, which said some of its residents ‘no longer feel safe’ on sidewalks.
E-bikes and e-scooters have become increasingly popular in recent years but have resulted in some sidewalks being clogged up by discarded bikes and pedestrians having to avoid riders speeding down the footpath.
Sales of e-bikes have soared in recent years, more than tripling between 2020 and 2022.
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Converted e-bikes to be banned on NSW trains with riders caught breaking the rules to cop $1,100 fine