Councillors congratulated themselves at their March meeting for the progress being made by the State Government on plans to regulate the use of e-bikes in NSW after their advocacy. Councillors are now calling for the Northern Beaches Council, in consultation with Transport for NSW and the Northern Beaches Police Local Area Command to convene a meeting of key stakeholders to advocate for improved road rules and regulation of e-bikes to help ensure:

• safety of pedestrians on shared pathways and footpaths
• effective compliance and enforcement actions of e-bikes that are modified to remove pedal assist requirements, speed limiting requirements or allowing excessive power in wattage.

They are also calling for the Northern Beaches’ NSW Members of Parliament to be directly engaged with the outcomes of Council’s e-bike 2023 audit to seek the proper regulation of e-bikes through improved road rules in NSW.

Meanwhile, Council is considering feedback on the proposal for the Curl-Curl Freshwater Connectivity and Streetscape Upgrade, which includes a separated bike lane. Among other things the proposed works includes an on-road two way separated cycleway on the northern side of Bennett Street and eastern side of Oliver Street.

The fact remains, however that the majority of bike lanes and shared paths in Manly, particularly the Darley Rd bike lane and the east west cycle link through Fairlight to Seaforth along Lauderdale Ave are in desperate need of basic maintenance and improvement.

In November 2023 Transport for NSW published a pamphlet for bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters users reminding them that they, just like other road users, must comply with all the applicable NSW

Road Rules:

• Bike riders can ride on the footpath if they are under 16 years of age or if they are 16 years or older and are supervising a child under 16 riding a bike.
• If they are 16 years or older and not supervising a child under 16 years riding a bike, they can’t ride on the footpath.
• Bike riders can ride a bike on shared paths. They must keep left and give way to pedestrians on shared paths.
• They must ride in a bicycle lane if it’s marked on the road and has bicycle lane signs, unless it’s impracticable to do so. Cars may use them for no more than 50 metres to enter or leave the road at a driveway or intersection.
• Bike riders can ride in transit lanes, truck lanes and bus lanes, but not ‘tram only’ or ‘bus only’ lanes. They can ride in bus lanes. Be aware of other vehicles using the lane, especially when coming up to intersections as all vehicles can travel in a bus lane if they’re turning left. When riding in a bus lane, bike riders must follow the main traffic lights. They can’t go on the green ‘B’ bus signal and must wait for the main traffic light green signal.
• Bike riders can’t ride in tram only or bus only lanes. These are marked by ‘Trams Only’ or ‘Buses Only’ on signs or lane markings.