NSW [Australia] considering plan to halve power and top speed of ebikes as rider dies in collision with garbage truck

Aushiker

Aushiker

Well-Known Member
Region
Australia
City
Walyalup, Western Australia
From Guardian Australia

New South Wales is considering a plan to halve the maximum power and top speed of ebikes, after a rider died in a collision with a garbage truck in central Sydney...“It means the highest limit you can travel at is currently 50 to 60km an hour. That’ll be reduced [under proposed new rules] to 25 to 30km/h."
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6zfshdb said:
The joke is, conventional bikes can be ridden at the same speed as an e-bike and are just as much a target for garbage trucks. Conventional bike collisions happen every day but aren't newsworthy and don't generate new laws.
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Short sighted, conventional bikes don't weigh as much
 
CanNik said:
Short sighted, conventional bikes don't weigh as much
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A heavier bike might work to the advantage of the rider. The garbage truck wouldn't notice the difference.
Would be a different story if we were talking about pedestrian collisions.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Isn't the max assisted e-bike speed in Australia just 25 km/h?
Instead of inventing new laws, riding the Chinese unlawful rubbish should be penalized.
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I guess reading isn't required and regurgitating the usual ignorance is all that can be expected.
The bike in question is an already speed restricted widely used rental ebike and the block_head riding it left the helmet in it's storage basket.
 
CanNik said:
I wonder if a family member of yours died you would be so flippant !
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I was being 100% serious. If slowing down ebikes would have saved that soul. Why wouldn't slowing down other public/private modes of motorized transportation should also yield the same results of saving lives?
 
mrgold35 said:
I was being 100% serious. If slowing down ebikes would have saved that soul. Why wouldn't slowing down other public/private modes of motorized transportation should also yield the same results of saving lives?
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Modern cars whether petrol hybrid or EV all have sophisticated computer systems for enhanced cruise control, lane assist, automatic braking etc. I don't see why cars are not fitted with legal speed restrictors so in built up areas, 20 and 30mph zones in Uk for example, the cars would be automatically restricted to those speeds. They still need extra speed on the open road for overtaking and to get out of trouble, but that's not the case in urban areas. My last speed awareness day - a system for speeding fines in UK where you avoid points on your licence by volunteering to attend a safety day, Ive done 2 so far(!) And actually it was well run, cheerful and yeah I learnt a lot, especially that at under 20mph survivability from a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist is good, but over 30 it quickly becomes life changing or results in death. That and the difference in braking lengths at these speeds, well it was sobering.

So yes restricting motor vehicles in areas with a lot of pedestrians and cyclists, now that a lot of cars can technically do this, seems just sensible.
 
Gionnirocket said:
I guess reading isn't required and regurgitating the usual ignorance is all that can be expected.
The bike in question is an already speed restricted widely used rental ebike and the block_head riding it left the helmet in it's storage basket.
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Riding in traffic without a helmet. Nuff said.
 
We have the advantage of having extra wide streets and bike friendly approach with infrastructure:.
- Any new roads have bike lane markings (bikers are "encourage" to ride with traffic)
- bikes are allowed on sidewalks traveling in any direction
- street lighting everywhere
- a lot of neighborhood streets are wide enough to park cars on the side with two cars able to pass in the middle
- sidewalks have inclines at every corner (bikes, strollers, wheelchairs, elderly, etc...)
- most sidewalks are wide enough for 2-4 to pass in either direction
- walk, jog, and (e)bike only unpaved or paved paths all over the city (bike only paths for +50 miles most places I need to go for errands or fun around the city)
- Class 1 & 2 ebikes are not restricted and can go anywhere a pedal bike can go
- local commercials sometimes on bike safety and right of way for each (stop sign, stop lights, turning on red, etc...)

You would have to do a lot things wrong to get hit by a garbage truck in my home town.
 
6zfshdb said:
The joke is, conventional bikes can be ridden at the same speed as an e-bike and are just as much a target for garbage trucks. Conventional bike collisions happen every day but aren't newsworthy and don't generate new laws.
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In the past few years, a handful of analog bike riders have been crushed to death in greater Boston from right-turning trucks. They saw the rider, they passed the rider, cut them off and ran over them, and then pleaded that they never saw them. Security cameras proved otherwise, but they are still dead.
 
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