Since I first drafted my previous post on e-bike laws in NSW back in May, there have been some big changes.

I have been in contact with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) about the issue, and I understand that the needs of disabled riders using adaptive e-bikes and e-trikes are now on its radar.

Since my contact with TfNSW, the following update appeared on the TfNSW e-bike information page:

Modified e-bike for users with disabilities

Transport is aware that there are members of the community with disabilities who have specially modified e-bikes. This may include bikes that cannot meet the EN standard because of their design or rider’s medical needs.

Transport will be consulting with relevant stakeholders in the disability community, such as specialty bike suppliers, to inform whether a targeted legislative approach for modified bikes is required.

This is very exciting. I have written back saying I welcome this update and hope that community members impacted by these laws will be part of any such consultation.

There is also more concerning news. In August 2026, NSW introduced new powers to seize and dispose of illegal e-bikes. And I fear your friendly neighbourhood TrikeBoy could (at least technically) be caught in the crossfire.

NSW is transitioning to the European EN15194 standard as the benchmark for legal e-bikes. On its website, TfNSW warns that not all e-bikes sold in Australian shops or online are legal for road use in NSW. Bikes that use throttles above the permitted limit or continue to provide motor assistance without pedalling above 6 km/h fall outside the legal definition of an e-bike in NSW.

Under the dramatically titled new ‘seizure and crushing laws’, NSW Police and other authorities have expanded powers to seize and potentially destroy (crush!!) illegal e-bikes. So, at least on paper, the status of an adaptive bike like mine sounds tenuous.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, I’ve also heard more encouraging news.

NSW’s new rules include a three-year transition period running until 1 March 2029. This gives owners of currently legal e-bikes time to transition to the new EN15194 requirements, including people with bikes rated between 250W and 500W. I’ve also been told that this period provides an opportunity to monitor the impact of the changes and consider adapting the rules where needed, and that the issue I’ve raised is on the list for action.

But there’s a catch. The transition period information doesn’t appear to include a grace period for throttle use above 6 km/h.

Under the current NSW rules, throttle-only motor assistance must still cut out at 6 km/h. So while people with currently legal higher-powered e-bikes have until 2029 to transition, there is no equivalent grace period, at least on paper, for a disabled rider like me who can’t use ‘pedal assist’ mode.

Ironically, my motor isn’t even “high powered” – it’s only 200W. But power isn’t the problem here. Nor is the speed I’m travelling. The problem is that my disability means I need to be able to use the motor without continuously pedalling.

To be compliant and avoid the NSW Government’s crusher (actual media release quote!), e-bikes should have:

• Maximum continuous power of 250 watts (500 watt will be tolerated until March 1 2029).
• Max speed of 6 km/h while not pedalling
• Power assistance that cuts out when the bike reaches 25 km/h

So what assurance do people with disability have that the assistive technology they rely on won’t fall foul of the new laws?

That is the gap I am asking the NSW Government to address

And this is where Queensland has ridden ahead.

Queensland has created a new legal category called a “special purpose EPAC” for electrically power-assisted cycles designed or modified to enable a person with disability or a medical condition to ride.

A special purpose EPAC must still have pedals, but it can be propelled by its electric motor without pedalling at speeds of up to 12 km/h. Motor assistance must cut out at 25 km/h.

Everybody eBikes, who have been leading advocacy for change in Queensland, have told me that work is underway on a sticker system for identifying compliant special-purpose bikes. An authorised party, such as a specialist bike shop, will be able to assess the bike and issue a sticker or label confirming its status.

When I originally contacted the NSW Government last year, I proposed a medical exemption allowing a disabled person who needs a throttle to use one. Queensland has taken a different and, I think, more elegant approach: regulate and badge the adaptive device rather than asking the disabled rider to carry a medical exemption letter with them to continually prove their disability.

I would be very happy to see something similar in NSW, with throttle-only operation capped at 10 km/h – the same speed allowed for other motorised mobility devices and for other bike riders on many shared paths.

But disabled riders who need this kind of adaptive technology need certainty now.

People with disability are riding adaptive bikes now, and some of us need to replace existing assistive technology. This is the issue that I myself now face.

My current adaptive e-trike is over six years old. I love my trike, but I can no longer buy a like-for-like replacement model in Australia, and spare parts are now virtually impossible to get. As a result, I am looking at replacing it through the NDIS, in consultation with my OT and a disability bike supplier.

In my case, a supplier is preparing a new adaptive e-trike for me, but the key accessibility feature I need – a throttle operating above 6 km/h without pedal assist -doesn’t fit within the standard NSW requirements for an e-bike.

I can’t reliably or safely pedal continuously because of my disability. I need the throttle to start safely, get up hills and keep moving in situations where stopping unexpectedly could itself create a safety risk. This is the main reason an e-trike works for me as an assistive technology device.

The supplier originally told me they couldn’t sell me the trike configured in the way I needed because of the NSW rules. When I pushed the issue, they suggested that I could potentially sign a waiver accepting responsibility for a configuration that provides the throttle functionality I need.

But that raises another problem. If I seek NDIS funding for the replacement trike, I need to be transparent about what the device does and why I need it. My allied health evidence needs to explain that the throttle is required precisely because I can’t reliably or safely pedal consistently.

I shouldn’t have to choose between a device that meets the standard e-bike requirements but doesn’t meet my disability needs, and a device that meets my disability needs but may not fit within the existing regulatory framework.

Nor should a bike shop have to solve this gap through a waiver that asks the person with disability to accept responsibility for the configuration.

The Queensland approach is really encouraging, but there needs to be a pathway for people with disability to access these devices as assistive technology in NSW as well, now and into the future.

Queensland has shown that there is a way forward. I think it is clear that NSW could accommodate adaptive e-bikes.

The question now is: how can NSW make sure disabled riders aren’t thrown under the metaphorical bus and left stranded, seized or crushed, while we wait for change?