Sydney council's plea after woman hit by e-bike, dragged for metres
Tash Dowling said she was shocked when the e-bike rider just drove off.
A Sydney council is cracking down on e-bikes after a woman was wiped out by one, with the impact dragging her and the rider metres down the road.
Northern Beaches woman Tash Dowling said she was going for a walk at around 7.45pm when the e-bike suddenly came up from behind, knocking her to the ground where the young rider reportedly left her.
Speaking on A Current Affair, Ms Dowling said she saw a light and thought there was a car so she moved onto a nearby driveway to get out of the way. "And as I'm going, this bike comes behind me and takes me out for about a three-metre glide along the gravel and wipes me out. I went to sort of engage with the person but they stood up, fixed their bike and drove off," she said.
The brutal encounter was captured on CCTV and shows the e-bike rider whizzing down the street before bowling her over. The Sydney resident said the collision left her with grazes and bruises and she was forced to hobble home.
Council crackdown on e-bikes: 'Need to slow down'
E-bikes have reportedly become popular in the Northern Beaches area where the incident occurred, and are problematic, local councillor and former police officer David Walton told the publication. He said there are often reports of near misses where bikes "aren't giving way to the pedestrians", resulting in complaints from the community.
"The bikes need to slow down. They need to signal either through a bell or other means that they're approaching, and they need to give pedestrians about a metre of distance to ensure that safety," he said. "Young people need to wear a helmet even though it might not be cool."
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While e-bikes are legal in NSW, there are some regulations. They must not be driven at more than 25km/h, weigh less than 50kg, and be designed to be propelled by the rider, not the motor. All riders must wear a helmet, according to Transport of NSW.
According to A Current Affair, the Northern Beaches Council will be conducting a safety audit in a bid to reduce the risk that e-bikes pose. "Obviously there are dangers because you can't hear the vehicle coming towards you, so you can see a light but you can't see that it's slowing down, or you can't hear it," Ms Dowling said.
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