Media Release - 29 July 2025
Greens councillor Jess Whittaker brought on a debate at Wollongong City Council's meeting on Monday night after a proposed ban on ebikes, escooters and eskateboards was unexpectedly announced by the state government last week with warning signs plastered across the Sydney Trains Network.
Cr Whittaker said at the meeting when introducing the urgency motion: “At a glance I can tell you this disproportionate response to a safety issue will punish disadvantaged people - young people, delivery riders, people with disabilities or medical conditions who can’t walk far enough to get to a train station, or anyone who can’t afford or doesn’t want to drive a car.”
“Particularly in a region like Wollongong with steep geography that has increasingly adopted multi-modal transport solutions to connect people with trains, this is a massive blow for our transport strategy, and that's why I brought this to the council at very late notice.”
“I struggle to imagine how this can even be enforced. People will be sneaking around like criminals just trying to get home. There will be constant conflict between passengers and transport staff, particularly given technology in many bikes is very difficult to identify as carrying a battery.”
“Imagine if we had the same risk appetite for cars. With an average of one death on NSW roads every single day, we would close roads tomorrow if we were applying the same lens to motorists.”
“I’m not saying there are no issues with lithium batteries, and that a fire is not a risk, particularly when it comes to train tunnels, but there are other more targeted ways we can deal with that risk that wouldn't punish every passenger with one of these devices on every train line in the network.”
Cr Whittaker called for the state government to consult on the changes before taking any action, and provide a regulatory impact statement to outline the economic and social impacts of such a ban.
“Tourism impacts on people who like to explore cycleway routes like the Grand Pacific Walk - forget about it now. We are a UCI bike city with 140 bike-friendly businesses and 23 community partners. And for the long-awaited mountain bike trails in the Illawarra, scheduled to open next month, this ban will be a major blow to people wanting to access the region to experience them.”
The impacts on other events, such as the Sydney to the Gong bike ride, were also discussed. After an amendment from Cr David Brown, it was resolved unanimously that the Council would write to the state government to request clarification on their plans for any potential ban on e-mobility on the train network, and also write to the federal government to seek information on actions being taken to improve the import standards around lithium-ion batteries.
