Given the popularity of e-bikes across the Beaches, it’s hard to believe that several years ago most of us were largely unaware they even existed.

But given the growing safety concerns amongst the local community, Council has been an early advocate for educating riders on safe e-bike practices.

An emerging problem 

As far back as 2022 we became aware of community concerns around safety and the growing use of e-bikes across the area. Several local schools approached us seeking safety resources to share with students who were riding e-bikes to school.

Council advised state government that e-bike safety resources were needed to help educate a growing number of riders.

By 2023, public attention around e-bikes was escalating and it was increasingly apparent that many riders were school-aged children, with those under 16 legally allowed to ride on footpaths.

Our community was concerned for the safety of pedestrians and e-bike riders. Many young e-bike riders had a lack of understanding and experience of road safety, and riders were often seen not wearing helmets properly or at all, taking multiple passengers, and riding fast.

Enforcement limitations

We quickly became aware of some gaps in state government legislation. This limits what e-bike rider behaviours can be enforced by police.

Limitations and legislative gaps:

• Legislation states that the number of passengers must not exceed the number of ‘seats’, but it’s unclear how many ‘seats’ there are on an e-bike bench seat.
• There’s no speed limit for bikes and advisory speed signage for bikes is not enforceable.
• Children under 16 years of age can legally ride any bicycle on a footpath regardless of the size and weight of the bike.
• There is nothing in the Driver Knowledge Test about e-bikes.
• There are no licensing nor registration requirements.
• E-bike riders are not required to have to have insurance.

What we did next

In 2023 Council:

• Began collaborating with Northern Beaches Police Area Command to educate e-bike riders and enforce safe riding along Manly beachfront. 
• Provided information on our website and social media for parents and the community on the current rules for e-bikes and conducted a community e-bike awareness survey.
• Called on the NSW Government to review the NSW Road Rules to keep riders, pedestrians and motorists safe and deliver an e-bike safety campaign.
• Engaged a behavioural science agency to conduct research with young riders and their parents and provide strategic advice for an e-bike safety education campaign.

‘Know the code’ campaign

In 2024 we launched Australia's first behavioural change campaign to encourage safe behaviour among young e-bike riders. 

A simple code, mirroring the surfer’s code, with 3 actions helped make messaging stick:

• Slow down
• Ring your bell
• Be ready for sudden changes to help everyone stay safe on footpaths.

Our strategy included partnerships with NSW Police, Bicycle NSW, bike shops and local schools to help reach our young audience.

The campaign was largely successful, with many highlights: a media launch with over 2.78 million views, social media campaign reaching over 635K and QR codes from outdoor signage driving 30 percent of website traffic.

NSW Government Parliamentary inquiry report

Our advocacy work and campaign activity lead to a first-of-its’-kind NSW Government inquiry into use of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility options. 

The findings were released in February 2025 and reflected many recommendations from our submission. The report includes 34 measures to improve pedestrian and rider safety, including:

• A speed limit of 15km/h for e-bike riders on footpaths
• Clear legal guidelines to enable enforcement of risky and illegal behaviour, including with illegal modified bikes
• Updating the Road Rules and Driver Knowledge Test
• Implementing a campaign to target young riders
• Introducing compulsory insurance.

Council has led the way in addressing these important issues, and it is now up to the NSW Government to consider the report and respond to the recommendations within it. 

What's happening now

We continue to advocate, educate and work with our partners to improve pedestrian and rider safety on the Northern Beaches. We are:

• Providing e-bike safety education through workshops and information stalls.
• Working with the Department of Education and local schools to plan how to further educate students on e-bikes.
• Liaising with local police, advising them of locations with a reported high level of unsafe behaviour.
• Delivering 1.5km of new cycle way to improve connectivity for pedestrians and bike riders from Curl Curl to Freshwater.
• Investigating further options for more separated bike paths, when funding is available.