News / Transport
Local riders reject proposed e-bike ban on trains
Government concerned about growing number of battery fires
Joanna Beard
COBURG resident Louise Dumas fears a government proposal to ban the carriage of e-bikes on public transport will cramp her cycling style.
Dumas recently had a hip replacement, and for her a non-battery powered bike is no longer an option. But the proposed ban, which is backed by Fire Rescue Victoria, could force her to reconsider participating with her cycling community, denying her an important social outlet.
Dumas said the proposed restrictions would negatively impact her health and mobility and would make her feel “nervous and fearful” of riding further distances.
“I have hip arthritis so I got an e-bike to make cycling more accessible for me,” she said.
“I use it so I can still take part in recreational cycling groups and also to go on longer rides with friends to regional areas, which wouldn’t be possible unless we can get our e-bikes on the train.”
As debate rages over e-bikes, Merri-bek’s cycling community is waging a last ditch lobbying effort to prevent a ban on taking them on public transport.
The Department of Transport and Planning (DOTP) is currently reviewing the regulations governing conduct on public transport, which are due to expire at the end of the year.
In its sights are a range of electric transport devices including, e-scooters, e-bikes, e-skateboards and e-unicycles. They would be prohibited from being taking onto all public transport, regional and metro, in Victoria
The proposal comes as concerns grow around the fire risk posed by lithium-ion batteries, found in devices like e-bikes.
Concerns around battery flammability were raised in March this year, when a train at Melbourne’s Union Station was evacuated after an e-bike caught fire inside the carriage.
E-bikes have also recently been banned from London’s metro railway system following similar incidents.
The ban, which could be imposed as early as September 30, would allow only for folding e-bikes and e-scooters to be taken on trams and public buses.
Mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs would be exempt from new restrictions.
The convenor of Merri-bek Bicycle Users Group (BUG), Faith Hunter, says the state government’s proposal is “lazy and lacking nuance”.
“The effect [of the ban] would be that those who ride e-bikes with the best standards, that have never been associated with a battery fire, those people will have their transport accessibility diminished,” Hunter said.
“The worst batteries, the least compliant ones, will probably still be taken on trains because it’s not possible to enforce this.”
Supporting documents from the proposal describe home conversion and lower quality commercial e-bikes and e-scooters as posing the highest risk of battery fire. However, the ban would apply to the carriage of all electric transport devices.
Hunter said this blanket approach “would make life worse for so many people”.
“People have been calling for better regulation [of e-bikes] for the last seven to 10 years, and we’d like to see that,” she says.
“Before the Morrison government changed the import regulations, bicycles which complied with the European standard had a sticker on their frame either from a bike shop or the importer. We’d like to see that done again and have those bicycles allowed on trains.”
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A spokesperson from Fire Rescue Victoria said firefighters responded to one incident involving lithium-ion batteries just about every day.
“Lithium-ion batteries pose significant risks on public transport due to the potential for fire in an enclosed space, which could result in serious injury or death,” they said.
“While e-bikes and e-scooters provide a convenient option for commuters travelling across the Victorian rail network, the safety of first responders and the community is, at all times, FRV’s top priority.”
The DOTP said NSW Fire and Rescue has reported 57 fires related to e-mobility devices this year.
“As more people choose e-mobility devices to travel, we have seen a rise of modified vehicles and low quality batteries that do not meet international safety standards – increasing the chance of a fire,” the department said in a statement.
“That’s why we have begun community consultation to better understand how these vehicles integrate with our public transport network.”
The consultation period ends on Monday.
Hunter said multi-modal travel with a train and bike combination was important to many people in Melbourne, particularly in areas where public transport was not available and being able to use an e-bikes at the end of a train trip could make destinations much more accessible.
Dumas said she knew of “dozens of others” like herself whose lives would be impacted if the ban is implemented.
“I understand they have isolated concerns with people who are riding customised or less compliant bikes, but to then punish every single person who’s invested in an e-bike for mobility just seems like a huge reach,” she said.
The proposed restrictions come at a time when Merri-bek Council is looking at expanding the availability of e-bikes and e-scooters in the area through a shared mobility scheme.
On Wednesday night, it gave the go ahead for council staff to move to the next step of finalise a Memorandum of Understanding with other inner city councils to allow the roll out of a shared e-bike scheme by a commercial operator, initially in Brunswick.
Any commercial e-bike operators will be required to provide on-street parking to avoid blocking footpaths. A shared e-scooter scheme has been put on hold.
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