Recurring e-bike complaint 'disgusting' Aussies: 'It's like déjà vu'
Advocates say e-bikes are environmentally-friendly and good for reducing congestion, but opponents argue scenes like this one are all too common.
A photo of a mountain of dumped e-bikes "blocking the pathway" along a busy CBD thoroughfare has again reignited the debate about the devices' place in Australia.
While experts and environmentally-conscious Aussies agree, e-bikes are a sustainable and effective way of travelling, people have long been divided over the rollout of the bikes, particularly in major cities. Some say they go too fast and are dangerous, while others are all for them.
E-bikes provide an easy way for many to travel, especially for those who might struggle with mobility or who do not hold a licence, but the huge multinational companies behind the electric bikes have also been criticised for their lack of self-regulation. The devices are regularly spotted dumped and discarded on busy streets, often blocking the way for pedestrians and wheelchair users.
A Sydneysider captured an image of almost 10 Lime Bikes lying in the middle of a pathway on King Street in the city's central business district, asking: "What’s up with many of them taking up walking space in the city?".
Australians torn over the future of e-bikes here
People responding online argued that "if people would treat them appropriately" the bikes "would be a decent form of transport" and "this is why we can’t have nice things".
"I took one home last night, so handy and way faster than walking. Sadly it was damaged and the seat didn't stay up," somebody said. "They're so handy, and I've sometimes contemplated hopping on one (but I can't go fast enough on a bike to be stable). Why do some people have to ruin good things?" another asked.
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"Walking around the streets on my way to work and these things are everywhere on the way non-stop. So annoying, I wish they had more accessible stands for them to be returned, too," another person said.
"I hate these things in the city, nobody puts them back properly. They should have dedicated bike stations situated throughout the city as the only places these bikes can be parked," a fourth echoed.
Others said they were "disgusted" by the scenes saying it felt like "déjà vu".
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Peter McLean, chief executive officer of Bicycle NSW, said he supports the electric bike movement but agreed the industry needs much stricter regulation.
Why are e-bikes an effective form of travel?
"They're getting more types of people with different chronic injuries, arthritis and joint problems or whatever else riding bikes, which is really fantastic for physical and mental health," he earlier said of the e-bikes, which require very little pushing and mostly run on motors.
"From a mobility point of view, they're getting people from A to B, in a nice, sustainable manner. It's also reducing the number of [car] trips that people are taking. Just in Greater Sydney alone, we do two million trips per day that are only less than a few kilometres in distance, a 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit found.
He said the devices do however travel at speed, which can pose safety hazards. "When they're in the hands of people who don't have a huge amount of experience, they are unsafe," he said.
"Shared bikes are proven to work quite well in a lot of cities around the world. We just don't have the framework right now in Australia for them. They are littered here, there and everywhere, and they get in people's way, and they they block fire stairs and disability access ramps, and all sorts."
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