18/06/2026
Ride Routes 20th – 26th June
The current influx of e-bikes and scooters on our roads and paths today is, in part, thanks to Former Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Barnaby Joyce. Back in 2021 he amended to Road Vehicles Standards Act to remove the requirements that imported e-bikes meet strict Australian or European safety standards. This opened up the market to cheap, high-powered products that are legal to sell, but not necessarily legal to use. In some cases, they should fall under the same rules are electric motorbikes.
The cheap price means that more and more are being sold and are finding their ways onto our roads and paths. In 2017 there were around 9,000 sales of e-bikes and that increased dramatically to 200,000 in 2022. From a transportation sense, this is a great thing. More people commuting by e-bike reduces the load on the roads and public transport, and in places like Perth, where we have an average of 138.7 completely clear days, it makes sense (Melbourne has 48.6).
However, there has been a downside. Unlike the e-scooter revolution that took place before hand, the e-bikes are seen as a more viable way of group riding that has turned into a form of hooning. Mass groups of e-bikes meet up for “rideouts” where they have been condemned by police for their bad and dangerous behaviour. There was one in particular earlier this year where a large group rode over Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The increase in popularity, especially with younger people, has also meant an increase in e-bike related injuries, with a couple of notable deaths in Victoria this year. Emergency Departments in VIC and NSW have both reported and 400% increase in people arriving with e-bike related injuries since 2020.
So how does this affect us, as what I guess we consider to be regular bike riders. Well besides being tarred with the same brush, where unruly behaviour on the road on a pack of e-bikes puts the same angst onto us, it has at least made the government stand up and notice. In mid May, the WA State Government made changes to the road rules that affect both normal bike riders and eRidables. These aren’t sweeping changes that will see bikes given the same respect like they have in places like Amsterdam, but are definitely steps forward to improving our safety on the road.
There were four changes, but two are applicable to how we operate.
1. Bike riders and eRideable users are not required to use hand signals if it would be unsafe to do so, such as steep descents. If a device is fitted with brake lights, flashing light signalling devices or illuminated indicators then the rider is still required to use those.
2. Bike riders and eRideable users no longer need to keep left when travelling through single-lane roundabouts.
The first one is an interesting one as it makes sense that you need to control the bike and the brakes are on the handlebars. However, I do find that our safety as cyclists, is often in the hands of the drivers, and the clearer about our intentions we are, the safer we will be. If I’m doing a right hand turn and need to give way to oncoming traffic, I will be in the middle of the road. If I don’t make my intentions clear to the traffic coming up behind me, then things can start getting confusing. This is mainly due to everyone’s standard assumption that bike should be hard left in the gutter at all times. I will always to try to shoot out a quick signal even if I need to put both hands back on to brake properly.
The second change is one that I have always done and it is purely for my own safety. Roundabouts are a notorious choke point. Even if the roads leading up to and away from have a shoulder or bike lane, they automatically disappear as they approach it. Road lanes with a shoulder will reduce from 4.5 metres down to 3.5 metres at the entry to the roundabout. The new Dodge RAM 2500 is 2.2 metres wide stretching to 2.6 metres when including the extended mirrors. It doesn’t leave us a lot of room. When riding by myself, I will always check for a small break in traffic then move out to “take the lane” before entering the roundabout. Drivers don’t always have a good understanding of where the off-side of their vehicle is and it doesn’t take much to be on the receiving end of a quarter panel. The interesting thing about this change is that it now brings WA in line with the Australian Road Rules.
Will these changes mean we need to operate differently? Not really. Will they mean that we get more respect and less angst on the road? Doubtful. But if the intent is for the rules to reflect how more people travel and attempt to improve safety for all road users, then hopefully, it is a good thing.
(bonus points if you can name anyone in this photo from 2009)
https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/2026/06/18/ride-routes-20th-26th-june-3/
