NSW Police Crack Down on Illegal E-bikes, Seizing 35

It is literally crunch time for e-bike riders caught doing the wrong thing on the NSW Far North Coast.

Officers attached to the Tweed-Byron Police District have cracked down on illegal behaviour in recent months, leading to the confiscation and destruction of 35 bikes.

Superintendent Christopher Schilt said the bikes were seized as part of Operation Cyclesafe and Operation E-Voltage.

He said that number could rise with forfeiture applications for another 23 e-bikes still before the courts.

"We need to do something; we understand the community concerns around them, and it will be an ongoing focus for the Tweed-Byron Police District," Superintendent Schilt said.

"We've often seen people doing wheelies, obstructing traffic and causing a general nuisance."

Superintendent Schilt said any e-bike without pedals was illegal to ride on NSW roads.

"It needs to be a combination of the pedals and the electric motor that propels the bike," he said.

"E-bikes shouldn't have a speed limit faster than 25 kilometres an hour.

"Some had been modified to allow them to go in excess of those speeds."

Transport for NSW legislation states a legal e-bike must have a maximum continuous power of 500 watts, and a throttle-only [motor without pedalling] motor function that cuts out at 6 km/h.

"The current legislation … is that bikes can't go over that 25km/h speed limit," Superintendent Schilt said.

"So if we do pull over a bike and we determine it has the capability to go in excess of that, then that is an offence."

Breaking the law can be an expensive mistake, with some e-bike models selling for several thousand dollars.

But Superintendent Schilt said riders who did the right thing had nothing to fear.

"The most important message is they are a great tool if ridden responsibly," he said.