E-bike rider killed in crash as safety warning sounds
Kat Wong |
An e-bike rider is dead after being hit by a garbage truck as authorities sound the alarm on the increasingly popular form of transport.
Emergency services were called to the scene of the collision at Ultimo, in central Sydney, early Tuesday morning.
A man in his 30s was not wearing a helmet when he attempted to cross the road on an e-bike.
He was treated by paramedics, but could not be saved, while the 28-year-old truck driver was taken to hospital for mandatory testing.
“We can’t stress enough the importance of wearing helmets when you’re riding any kind of bike,” NSW traffic and highway patrol commander David Driver told reporters.
Adult cyclists have also been reminded that they cannot ride an e-bike or bicycle on a footpath unless they are supervising a child.
More than 600,000 households now own an e-bike, and many more are expected to buy one over Christmas.
But police have urged parents not to bow to pressure to purchase the most powerful e-bikes, warning it could become the “ultimate buyer’s regret”.
NSW is the only state where Australians can buy a 500 watt e-bike, meaning users can travel at up to 60km/h, whereas riders in Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, are limited to 250 watt e-bikes.
The NSW government is set to reduce the limit and bring it in line with other jurisdictions in a bid to improve safety.
“I’ve seen some particularly young kids on bikes that are more like motorbikes,” NSW Premier Chris Minns told Sydney radio 2GB.
“There’s very little pedalling going on.
“In some cases, fat bikes … can go as fast as a car, and as a result, people are going to get hurt.”
The independent MP for Mackellar in Sydney’s northern beaches has echoed the sentiment, calling on the federal government to reinstate a national importation standard for e-bikes that would cap speeds to 25km/h and 250 watts and include an anti-tampering requirement.
“I’ve been working hard to make sure we don’t have preventable tragedies in our community, particularly with the summer school holidays upon us and inevitable increased e-bike use,” Sophie Scamps said.
During a two-day crackdown in late November, NSW Police seized two e-bikes and one e-scooter and issued 176 infringements.
More than 30 food delivery motor scooters were also stopped, while 14 infringements were given to bike riders.
“We’ve seen some incredibly stupid behaviour,” Assistant Commissioner Driver said.
In one instance, an e-bike rider ran a red light in front of six officers.
Another man who was fined $423 for not wearing a helmet, walked his bike around the corner before being fined again by another officer.
AAP
