Shellharbour Council is taking a proactive approach to electronic transport device safety. Photo: @dotshock.
With safety concerns growing over bikes, scooters, and electric-powered transport devices in public spaces, Shellharbour City Council has voted unanimously to develop a safety report aimed at improving infrastructure, education and enforcement — signalling a proactive approach before serious accidents occur.
Put forward by councillor Rob Petreski, the motion calls for a report into safety risks and high-risk areas, infrastructure improvements, and education initiatives to help ensure pedestrians and riders can enjoy shared spaces safely.
Mayor Chris Homer also put forward an addition to the motion, to explore funding opportunities for the report through state and federal government programs, ensuring any future improvements can be supported by strategic investment.
Shellharbour joins a growing number of councils across NSW taking steps to better manage the rise in e-mobility, the plan following the completion of a parliamentary inquiry into e-bikes and e-scooters.
Cr Petreski said many of the things within his five-part motion had already been done in part by council.
“We know from the Let’s Chat Shellharbour contributions, that the community wants more bike-friendly infrastructure, but as e-mobility continues to grow, so too does our responsibility to manage it properly,” he said.
He said the report was intended to see what could be done to strengthen the current situation and provide Shellharbour-specific recommendations.
“Bikes, e-scooters, e-bikes, electric power devices are all becoming part of everyday life,” he said.
“They’re popular, they’re accessible, they’re sustainable and, for many people, they offer real freedom.
“But along with those benefits, we’re now facing safety concerns that can’t be ignored.”
He said they were seeing more high-speed riding in pedestrian zones, near misses, and confusion about what the rules were.
“This motion isn’t about cracking down on bikes and scooters, whether they’re e-bikes or conventional, it’s about getting ahead of the growing issue,” he said.
“It’s about making sure we have the right infrastructure, the right signage and the right public education to make sure shared spaces work for everyone.”
He said council needed to be a “proactive leader” and not “wait for a serious accident to justify taking action”.
Cr Craig Ridding seconded the motion in a bid to understand the complexities of the issues facing Shellharbour.
Cr Homer said he supported the report to get ahead of the e-revolution, but had concerns about funding it, prompting his addition to the motion.
In reading from a release following the February parliamentary inquiry, he said: “The responsibility has fallen on local councils to manage shared e-bike issues with many struggling against a patchwork of inconsistent regulations and oversight that varies from one council area to the next.
“The lack of a unified statewide approach has left councils without the tools or the authority to effectively address mounting community concerns.”
Cr Kellie Marsh said the parliamentary inquiry highlighted benefits such as health, tourism and reducing traffic congestion, but also raised regulatory gaps and challenges regarding helmet use, rider age, rider licensing, device registration and power settings.
“I’ve nearly run into kids on these bikes when I’ve been driving and they come out of nowhere,” Cr Marsh said.
“It just frightens me as a parent and as a grandparent that we have young children on these electric vehicles who don’t understand the power of what they’re riding.
“I’m not anti them in any way, shape or form. I see the benefit of them, but I really feel we need to make sure we do everything we can to protect the community as far as safety is concerned.”
She said her concern from the parliamentary inquiry was it becoming “another black hole for council where there’s more cost shifting on to council”, giving the example of bike parking infrastructure.
“We don’t have the infrastructure. Who’s going to pay for that in the long term?” she said.
“We need to advocate with the State Government for them to not only just have this parliamentary inquiry, but put into action some of the things that came out in this inquiry.”
Cr John Davey said while the first three points about identifying incidents and complaints, current regulations and high-risk locations were part of council’s “bread and butter”, point four on “recommended improvements to infrastructure, signage and public education campaigns” would require funding.
“In the background, we have the Upper House inquiry,” he said.
“We know they have come out with 34 recommendations … but we also know the State Government is due to hand down its response to the inquiry in May, so there may be some recommendations we are obligated to follow out of that.
“I would have thought items one, two and three would warrant some sense of urgency anyway, for us to take a proactive stance on this and be prepared for when the State Government hands down a recommendation.”
Acting CEO Wayde Peterson said the first three items of the motion could be done at minimal operational costs, but items four – and potentially item five, which centred on options to strengthen compliance and enforcement strategies in collaboration with NSW Police – might need a report back to council to determine costs.
The report is expected to come back to council in the coming months, with community engagement playing a key role in shaping the recommendations.
