Exclusive: A leading pediatric surgeon has endorsed the use of e-bikes for children, while expressing concerns about the risks associated with e-scooters.
Professor Roy Kimble, who leads the burns, trauma, and pediatric surgery department at Queensland Children’s Hospital, advocates for children riding e-bikes safely as a preferable alternative to relying on parental car rides.
“Cycling is an activity kids should engage in because it offers a healthier lifestyle than just being driven to and from school by parents, only to spend hours in front of a computer,” Kimble shared with 9news.com.au.
Across most of Australia, there is no minimum age for riding e-bikes, apart from Western Australia, where riders must be at least 16 to use the motor function.
For e-scooter riders, most states have set the minimum age at 16. However, in Queensland, children as young as 12 can ride e-scooters if supervised by an adult.
In Queensland, they can ride as young as 12 if supervised by an adult.
In most of Australia, e-bikes must not generate more than 250 watts of continuous power or exceed 25km/h while being ridden on roads or in public.
The assistance automatically cuts off once the e-bike reaches this speed and the rider returns to the limits of human pedal power.
In NSW, they must not exceed 500 watts.
“Unlocked” e-bikes that can reach higher motor-assisted speeds are only legal when ridden on private property.
Petrol-powered bicycles cannot legally be ridden on roads or footpaths.
Electric motorcycles cannot be ridden on footpaths and require registration, insurance and licensing.
