Andrew Reeson - Community Advocate

What's The Deal With The Council's Public Transport Levy - An Explainer

~The Short Version:

Nine bus routes are run in Toowoomba by the state government. They run infrequently on long windy routes at inconvenient times. As a result, they are underutilised and frequently run empty. These problems led to calls for local and state governments to invest more in the bus network. The council responded by adding a Public Transport Levy to rates notices, raising about $3 million annually for service improvements. This levy is unlikely to make significant changes and could be better spent elsewhere.

I’m only focusing on the levy here. I will write about the broader public transport system another time.

~The Long Version:

Eight bus routes operate within Toowoomba, as well as one route between the city, Highfields and Crows Nest, and an occasional extension to Westbrook. Rangeville and part of East Toowoomba are serviced by a separate On-Demand service.

From Monday to Friday buses run every hour(ish) from about 7am to 6pm. On Saturday they run hourly from 8am-5pm. Sunday only has three routes from 9am-5pm.
Some routes operate more often during peak times.

Bus services are run by Translink, a state government entity, and operated by Bus Queensland. The Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) owns almost all the bus stops. Since 2024, fares have been reduced to 50 cents per trip.

At last count (2011) 2% of all trips were made on public transport, 7% walking or cycling and 91% in cars.

Public transport is lagging behind every other mode of transport and to change we need to understand why. Let’s look at some scenarios.

~My (Hypothetical) Commutes

From my house in Harlaxton/Mt Lofty we’ll go to three places. All journeys were calculated using Translink’s journey planner.

Work (Wilsonton Industrial Estate)
To arrive before work starts at 8am I have two options.
Option one: Leave at 6:12am, walk 2.3km, take the 907 bus then walk 2.9km to arrive at 7:39am, 1h 27m later.
Option two: Leave at 5:49am, walk 3.5km and take two buses to arrive at 7:51am, 2h 2m later.
There is no option for returning home at 5:30pm.

Study (University of Southern Queensland)
To arrive before a 10am lecture the fastest option is to walk 0.9km and take one bus, arriving at 9:40am, 1h 10m later.

Play (Queens Park Botanic Gardens)
To attend a 3pm picnic in the park, I have two options.
Option one: Walk 1.0km and take one bus, arriving 2:53pm, 27m later.
Option two: Walk the whole way (2.7km) in 41m.

Of those three trips, only number three is realistic, even though it is almost quicker to walk. Commuting to work two hours early isn’t an appealing idea to anyone.

~How do we change that?

In July 2024, the council added a new public transport levy to rate notices at a cost of about $40 per year. The levy replaced other unrelated levies of the same value, so ratepayers are not paying any more than before. The council has stated that the levy will be used to address three areas:

Frequency
Only running buses hourly means they usually don’t arrive at a convenient time and if you miss it, you’re stuck waiting a whole hour for the next one.
With more funding, Translink could run more buses on each route.

Routes
The current routes have two problems: Firstly they are windy and indirect, so a short car trip becomes a long bus ride. Secondly, they assume you want to go from a suburb to a central hub like the city centre or Clifford Gardens. If you want to go between suburbs or to work outside the city centre, you’ll have to make a transfer.

With more funding, Translink could add extra routes, making them more direct, or have one running around the city centre like a ring road.

Accessibility
Many current PT users have restricted mobility due to age, health or disability. If they can not safely and easily access bus stops, and board buses, they won’t use them. Stops too far from residences, a lack of footpaths, damaged footpaths, unsafe road crossings, lack of shelter, etc. all make PT inaccessible.

With more funding, Toowoomba Regional Council could upgrade footpaths, road crossings and bus shelters.

~There is a big problem…

Density. Most houses are in low-density areas, with 75% of dwellings classified as detached (houses, rather than townhouses, units or apartments). These have a larger footprint and are more spread apart. If we assume a maximum desirable walking distance of 400m from a dwelling to a bus stop then a route needs to wind through a lot of streets to be close to enough dwellings.

We end up with two options: Direct routes that are quick, but don’t reach many users. Or windy routes that are time consuming, but reach a lot of users. Neither is ideal.

The current model of development in the region is to expand outwards, rather than upwards. As more housing is built further from employment, services etc, it will become harder for PT to service those areas.

𝘓𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘛 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

~What has the council achieved so far?

We’re now two years into the levy, which has raised about $6 million so far. The council published the following list of recent outcomes (2025/26):

𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦-𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴⁣
𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 (𝘰𝘯-𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵)⁣
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 (𝘦.𝘨. 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳’𝘴 𝘌𝘷𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘴)⁣
𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘴/𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴⁣
𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴⁣
𝘗𝘳𝘦-𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘦–𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬

Also, they have the following planned for the next year:

𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴, 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴⁣
𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢⁣
𝘈 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 6 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴⁣
𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺-𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴⁣
𝘖𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘌𝘘⁣
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦:⁣
𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘯, 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘺𝘢, 𝘞𝘺𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴⁣
𝘎𝘰𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦⁣
𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦.

~Will the proposed changes work?

Money spent on tangible upgrades, like wheelchair ramps and bus shelters, has tangible benefits. The city has a myriad of issues that make life harder for those with disabilities and restricted mobility. Any effort to improve their lives and help them participate in society is worth pursuing.

Increasing the number and frequency of services, however, may not deliver a meaningful improvement. If the main objection to PT usage is long rides, adding more buses on the same route won’t change that. There could be a benefit to adding extra routes within the city, but that depends on a variety of factors.

Adding new routes to unserviced areas is logical, but those services would face the same issues the current ones are facing.
The fundamental reason PT is underutilised in Toowoomba is that trips take too long, because the city is too spread out. No amount of money will change that.

~My Opinion

I think the council made some missteps with their Public Transport Levy. Both politically and practically. After the levy was introduced in July 2024, many residents outside of the city complained that they had to pay for services they are unable to use because PT doesn’t exist in their area. The councillors have not done a good enough job justifying the levy, increasing the perceived divide between the city and country.

On the practical side, my concern is that the levy will end up funding more empty buses. Ridership will remain low and when the funding is inevitably cut the councillors will throw their hands in the air and say, “Well we tried, but residents just didn’t want it.”

We need a proper rethink about what transport, public and otherwise should look like here, and leaders with enough courage to plan for the future instead of just responding to the present.

If you look way back at the start of this explainer, you’ll see that more people walk or ride than take the bus. If you have ever tried to do the same, you’ll know that in many parts of the region, the footpaths and bikeways are in terrible condition or non-existent. Paths are overgrown, cracked, broken by tree roots or hot and exposed. Street crossings are unsafe. Kerb ramps are too steep or non-existent. Most bike lanes are a strip of paint along the gutter.

I think by restricting this levy to public transport, they have restricted the scope of what is possible. If the council had broadened the levy to include Active Transport (walking, biking, scooting, wheelchairing etc.), then they could start fixing some of the issues just mentioned. $3 million would pay for a huge amount of active transport projects, some of which are ready and waiting for funding.

Footpaths don’t win headlines, but they do make life easier for thousands of residents, in and outside of the city. If we don’t want the region to become a congested mess, we need to focus on moving people rather than cars. It’s boring, but so are stormwater drains, sewer lines and other bits of infrastructure that we take for granted.

~Some Questions:

Is it worth improving public transport?
Yes. PT of some kind is always going to be necessary. Being able to move around a city and access healthcare, support and community is a basic human right. Some people don’t have the ability to drive, ride or walk so without a public option, they might be shut out of society. That is unacceptable.

What would a better system look like?
That’s the question our leaders need to be asking. The traditional model of big buses on fixed routes is not working here.
Perhaps the goal of PT in Toowoomba needs to be rethought. If the general public is not going to start riding the buses en masse, maybe PT needs to be geared towards those who don’t have the luxury of other options.

Fixing PT in Toowoomba is beyond the scope of this explainer, but these questions need to be asked by our leaders, rather than just throwing money at it and hoping it sorts itself out.

What about the on demand service? Could that be expanded?
The On Demand service is a whole different kettle of fish. It sounds good in theory, but in practice it has issues. I’ll cover it in a future explainer.

Why do residents outside the city have to pay the levy?
According to the TRC website: 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 13,000 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩.

In the next financial year TRC plans to introduce services in Clifton, Cambooya, Wyreema, Gowrie Junction, Kingsthorpe, Goombungee, and Meringandan West.

Also, any reduction in traffic benefits everyone visiting Toowoomba. A Pittsworth resident may not use a bus, but every car off the road is one more parking space for them when they drive into town.

Why is the council funding a state run service?
In order to attract more state investment, the council needed to show willingness to invest themselves. It seems to have worked as the state government recently agreed to pitch in $3 million this year.

Can active transport complement public transport?
Absolutely. A lot of the accessibility issues described here affect active and public transport users. By making it easier for residents to move around on foot, it’s easier to get them to a bus stop.

Will the levy be used to fund the train to Brisbane?
The council stated the levy will be used for a “Pre-feasibility study for a Brisbane–Withcott passenger rail link”. As I have previously written, the train to Brisbane won’t happen. The state already investigated all options and ruled it to be unrealistic. The council are wasting money in an effort to chase positive headlines.

Is there any chance we’ll get trains or trams within the city?
Not a chance. As much as I’d love a tram network, there is no justification for it when we can barely sustain the existing bus network.

~The End

Thanks for reading another explainer. I consulted with some disability and transport researchers and advocates while writing. Hopefully I have accurately translated their expertise into what you’ve just read.

Another creek clean up done. This time we pulled 300kg from Gowrie Creek opposite the World Gym. There wasn't as much household waste this time, instead it was mostly industrial, a reflection of the area's history.

The Darling Downs Environment Council is planning to run these clean ups every month. You're welcome to join in. Eventually we'll have Gowrie Creek spotless.

Well, there will be less trolleys and tyres in it at least.

What’s the deal with the new e-bike laws? An explainer

The short version
In response to the growing amount of injuries and anti-social behaviour connected to electric bikes, the Queensland government has proposed new laws restricting who can ride e-bikes and how they can be ridden. These laws are misguided. They will do little to improve safety and could lead to unintended negative consequences.

This explainer will focus on e-bikes, but applies to e-scooters as well. I’ll use the term e-mobility when referring to both.
The long version
Since e-bike import regulations were relaxed in 2021 they have become a popular transport option, particularly for teenagers who are too young to drive a car. This has corresponded with an increase in serious e-mobility injuries, affecting 2,000 riders in 2025.

It has also resulted in an increase in anti-social behaviour and dangerous riding. It is not uncommon to see riders without helmets, multiple riders on one bike, high speeds on footpaths, deliberate damage to parks etc.

All this has led to public calls for the state government to increase regulation and enforcement. The state has recently responded by accepting all 28 recommendations of the “Parliamentary inquiry into e-mobility safety and use in Queensland” report tabled in February 2026. Some of the recommendations are sensible (improve education, infrastructure, communication between government departments etc.) However, a few of the recommendations have drawn significant opposition. They are as follows:

Recommendation 13
E-bikes and Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) can only be ridden by individuals aged 16 years and over
Riders of e-bikes and PMDs be required to hold at least a Queensland Class C learner licence

Recommendation 14
Reduce the speed limits on all footpaths, for all e-mobility devices, to maximum 10km/h.
The Opposition
Restricting e-bikes to ages 16 and over is intended to restrict riders to those old enough to handle the additional risk of motor assistance. Opponents say that it will limit how much teenagers can participate in society if they are unable to get around independently. It will lead to higher reliance on cars, and lower engagement with sports and social activities.

Requiring riders to hold at minimum a learners permit is intended to restrict riders to those who can pass at least a theory test on road rules. This seems reasonable, but opponents say it imposes restrictions on those who have genuine reasons for not having a licence. The report does not make it clear if this would be applied to riders who are unable to obtain a learners permit due to old age or disability. If it does apply, then it will remove one of the only ways for people with certain disabilities to get around independently.
The report is also unclear if it will affect those who have lost their licence for medical or legal reasons.

Reducing the speed limit to 10km/h on footpaths will make it safer in places where riders and pedestrians are sharing a footpath. It would not apply on dedicated bikeways, but it is unclear if it would apply on shared paths (like the West Creek Pathway). Opponents point out several flaws:
1. In most places there is no clear distinction between a footpath, shared path and bikeway. Signage could be erected, but that would incur significant costs for local governments.
2. The speed limit would only apply to electric bikes, not regular (acoustic) bikes. This makes no sense.
3. At 10km/h, a rider could easily be overtaken by a runner. Should running also have a speed limit?
4. Lower speeds in crowded spaces make sense, but most footpaths are empty most of the time. A blanket speed limit across all footpaths is like making all roads 40km/h in case a school child is around, instead of only in school zones.
5. 10km/h is unrealistically slow for commuters. This could push bike commuters to ride on the road instead, frustrating drivers and increasing crash risk, or to abandon their bike and drive instead, increasing congestion.
6. Bikeways are rare, meaning riders realistically have to choose between footpaths or roads.
7. At speeds under 10km/h bikes are less stable, so injury risk could be worse than before.
Would the new laws work?
The new laws make sense, in a vacuum. In the real world however, there are some significant problems. To understand them, we’ll wind back to 2021.

E-bikes have been around since the 1990s. The big change came in 2021 when the previous federal government removed restrictions on what e-bikes could be imported. Prior to 2021 imported e-bikes had to conform to the following rules:

Have a motor with a maximum continuous power output of 250 watts
Be pedal powered with motor assistance up to 25 km/h
Have a motor that stops providing assistance after 25 km/h
Have a motor that can work without pedalling, but only up to 6 km/h.

In 2021, for unknown reasons, import restrictions were lifted so now it is legal to import e-bikes that:

Have no power limit
Have no speed limit
Can be operated via a throttle, without pedalling.

These bikes are essentially electric motorbikes, with pedals. They are motor-pedals, or mopeds. For this explainer I will use the term moped, illegal e-bike or non-compliant device. There is no agreed upon term, and therein lies the problem.
A naming problem and a media frenzy.
In all news reports and government statements, the term “e-bike” is used to refer to all electric bikes with pedals, regardless of whether they conform to regulations. The trouble is, by not drawing a distinction between legal and illegal e-bikes, they are tarring all riders with the same brush. A 14 year old hitting 70km/h on a footpath is a world apart from a dad riding with his kids to school, but by describing both people as “e-bike” riders, the media and government has muddied the waters and made it harder to have a sensible discussion.

This has led to calls to ban all e-bikes, but here’s the thing… Mopeds were already banned. Import restrictions were lifted, but they have always been illegal to ride in public places. If you go shopping for one of these bikes you’ll find a small disclaimer saying something like, “Restricted 25 km/h Public Use. Private Use unrestricted to 50km/h”
Just enough for sellers to skirt the rules, but functionally useless. These bikes aren’t made for farm work, they are explicitly designed for streets. The sellers know they will be used unrestricted in public, but with a tiny disclaimer and a wink, they get away with it.

Thankfully, in 2025 the current federal government once again restricted the import of illegal e-bikes, but in the four years preceding, over a million e-bikes, legal and illegal, entered the country.
Redefining the problem and looking for a solution
We have two vehicles called e-bikes:
Legal pedal assisted e-bikes. These are slower and safer. They are a great option for riders unable to drive, wanting to save money, get fit, etc. They are an effective way for cities to reduce congestion, air and noise pollution.

Even the government's report states that under the current rules, legal e-bikes do not create significant problems.

Illegal, unrestricted mopeds. These are just motorbikes with pedals, and have all the risks of motorbikes, with less safety features and regulations.

They are what you see in the news and in angry Facebook posts.

The problem is not the legal e-bikes, it's the illegal mopeds. Legal e-bikes don't require stricter regulation, the illegal ones need to be removed.

So what's the solution?

Restricting imports was the first step. Restricting the import of overpowered conversion kits would be beneficial too.
Restricting the sale of non-compliant devices that have already been imported would be helpful, but it would leave retailers with stock they are unable to sell. The report has addressed this in Recommendation 19: That non-compliant devices are to be clearly marked as ‘for use on private property only’.

Enforcement is the big one. The QLD police have recently cracked down on illegal e-bikes in Operation X-ray Surety, but as of February, had only taken 142 illegal devices off the road. These devices are inherently difficult to police. For example, the only way to check if an e-bike is overpowered is to put it on a dynamometer, which looks like a big treadmill and isn’t easy to deploy everywhere. Better enforcement will work eventually, but it will be years before every non-compliant device is removed.

In the meantime the government is planning to implement much higher fines for dangerous behaviour, including riding an illegal device, riding at excessive speed, failure to wear a helmet, riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and hooning.
Will the new laws work?
The effectiveness of the new laws will depend on how well they are enforced. Considering mopeds, not wearing a helmet etc. was already illegal, it doesn’t seem likely that more restrictions will be enforced.

The age limit and licence requirement
Without police flagging down riders and checking IDs constantly, it is unlikely to be enforced.

The speed limit
Likewise, without police measuring rider speeds constantly, it seems very difficult to enforce.
There is an existing example we can consider. Under the current rules, legal e-scooters can reach 25km/h on some roads, but are limited to 12km/h on paths. According to the report, fewer than a quarter of e-scooter riders were even aware of the lower speed limit. Doubtless, plenty of those aware of the rules do not follow them anyway. A new 10km/h limit would likely be similarly ignored.

Higher fines
Fines are effective to a point, but as the size of the fine increases they become less effective. If riders are willing to risk the current fines, it is unlikely that raising the fines will have a dramatic effect. Especially considering the new laws are mostly aimed at teenagers, who are more willing to take on larger risks and aren’t as financially literate.

Compliance stickers
A sticker stating a device is ‘for use on private property only’ will be ignored immediately.

My Opinion
I ride an e-bike. It’s a eight year old Merida Espresso with a basket on the front and kids seat on the back. It’s heavy and slow, and I love it. Since buying it in 2023, we’ve racked up a few thousand kilometres on it and we’ve been able to sell our second car. We have three kids, so with a trailer attached, I can take them all out on errands or adventures. Our oldest has just been upgraded to a proper bike and riding alongside them is one of my biggest joys.

The new laws threaten to make our life harder for no real gain. They are illogical and will hit ordinary riders, while having little impact on troublemakers.

As an example of how illogical they are, when I’m riding with my five year old I prefer to ride on footpaths because it’s safer for them than the road. As I have an e-bike and they have an acoustic bike, I will face a speed limit while they can run rings around me. If they decide to ride ahead of me, I couldn’t legally catch up to them. It’s silly.

I think these laws are a prime example of how politicians fail their constituents. The import laws were lifted by the federal government, flooding the market with dangerous devices. Genuine harm was done and lives were lost. Affected families wanted justice, the media whipped up a frenzy against all e-mobility devices and the state government decided they had to be seen taking action. Instead of solving the issues, they prioritised the appearance of action.

The state government is more interested in appearing to solve problems, than actually solving them.

The media also receives a dishonourable mention for prioritising sensational headlines instead of educating the public on the difference between legal and illegal devices.

The state government is accepting submissions on the new laws until this Friday, 10th April. I recommend telling them to work on actual solutions instead of the proposed ineffective blanket rules.
Some questions
I’ll be honest, I’ve had a hard time finding common questions on the topic. I mostly found angry comments and anecdotes.

Will parents be held responsible for their children's behaviour?
Under the new laws, yes.
Recommendation 25: The Queensland Government amend laws to provide that the parent/guardian can be pursued for penalties for breaches of e-mobility device regulations by children under 16 years of age.

Who is buying these e-bikes for teenagers?
Considering most e-bikes, legal or not, cost over $2000, it’s most likely parents that are responsible. Better education and regulation of retailers would help parents to only buy compliant devices. But, as long as non-compliant devices are available for purchase, the problem will continue.

Should e-bikes require registration?
From the report:
For compliant devices – i.e. those that meet recognised standards including being limited to a maximum speed of 25km/h – the committee does not consider mandatory registration or Compulsory Third Party insurance to be justified
Their reasoning considered the negative impact of restricting access to active transport, the administrative burden on riders and government departments, the complexity of registering millions of existing and future bikes and the ineffectiveness of registration at removing non-compliant devices.
In short, a fifteen year old ripping fat skids in a shopping centre isn’t going to bother getting their moped registered, so it wouldn’t accomplish much.

Why can’t kids just ride a push bike like they did in the old days?
Plenty of kids still do, but e-bikes make riding much easier for those with limited physical ability, and those in hilly areas or harsh climates. The main reason kids don’t ride as much as the old days is a lack of safe bike infrastructure and an increase in the number and size of cars on the road. Kids in the old days didn’t have to deal with Ford Rangers and F150s.

These mongrels should be taken off the road! I should be able to run them over!
That is a crime. I’m shocked that this is a real comment I have seen numerous times.

Thanks for reading another explainer. My sources are in a comment below. Make sure to make a submission by this Friday.

Make a submission:
https://qldparlcomm.snapforms.com.au/form/transport-and-other-legislation-managing-e-mobility-use-and-protecting-our-communities-amendment-bill-2026

On Saturday a crew descended into Gowrie Creek and pulled out over 400kgs of plastic, rags, shopping trolleys and a lot of broken glass.

This creek could be a beautiful space if the council sunk a few million dollars into cleaning the up, but alas, there are far more important things on the agenda.

Big thanks to Sea Shepherd for organising it.

Whatcha up to this Saturday? Want to get your hands dirty and make a difference? I'm helping run a Clean Up Australia Day event along Gowrie Creek. Sea Shepherd and the Darling Downs Environment Council have done the work to organise it all, I'll just be there to look good.

If you want to join in, we're meeting outside World Gym in Brook St. March 7th. 4pm.

Bring gloves and closed in shoes.

Before and after

This section of footpath was covered in gravel after the last big storms and it stayed that way for a couple of months. I guess everyone walking along here assumed someone else would deal with it.

One of the reasons I do this kind of work is to hopefully show the community that you don't have to wait for someone else to deal with it.

With a shovel, a broom and some elbow grease you can make a difference in your neighbourhood. No waiting required.

Look at the new growth on this beauty. New growth for a new year.
I meant to write a flowery post at the start of the year, but I blinked and now we're near the end of summer. The last couple of months I've felt like a spectator. Like life is happening to me, and I'm just a passive participant. It's a habit of mine.

Today is my birthday. 33 years old. Nine years into a marriage. Seven years into a business. Five years into fatherhood. I didn't really plan to be here, but here I am.

13 years ago I didn't know if I'd make it through the next day. Now I'm glad I chose to keep living, even if I rarely felt like I knew where I was going.

Things are different now. I have four humans relying on me. I wonder about the legacy I'll leave. What kind of world my kids will inherit. Spectating is no longer an option.

We have big plans for this year. To grow our business by 50%. To run an event with 5000 attendees. To plant a few thousand trees. Just small stuff.

I want to swing for the fences, even if I strike out. I want my kids to know that I'm doing my best. I want to make a difference, but I can't do it alone.

I'll be making some announcements next month. I have some big events in the works and I'll need a tonne of support to pull them off. Thank you to everyone who has stuck around the last couple of years. I'll be calling on you in the near future to help me make it all happen.

Peace,
Andrew Reeson