Parts of Queensland are trialling a ban on e-bikes following ongoing safety concerns and a string of destructive behaviour involving young riders. A four-week trial began on Monday, banning the use of e-bikes at two of the Gold Coast’s busiest parks: Pizzi Park in Miami and the Runaway Bay Sports Centre.
Under the trial, authorities will issue warnings to riders caught using e-bikes in the banned areas, but repeat offenders could face fines of up to $650. The restrictions also extend to other personal mobility devices, with e-scooters, e-skateboards and Segways included in the ban within the parks.
The move comes after new footage circulated online showing e-bike vandals tearing up a soccer field at a Palm Beach sporting complex south of the Gold Coast. In the vision, one rider drags a shopping trolley behind his e-bike, ripping up the turf before throwing the trolley into soccer nets and a light post, damaging council property as locals look on.
It’s the latest incident in a broader pattern of destructive behaviour that has prompted the council to introduce tougher rules. If the trial proves successful, the council has indicated it may extend the restrictions to other parks across the region.
The crackdown is also unfolding as the community awaits the findings of a parliamentary inquiry into e-bike safety, due at the end of this month. The report is expected to recommend ways to improve e-bike safety and address antisocial behaviour, including whether age restrictions and compulsory licences for riders over 16 should be introduced.
Queensland Police have also been targeting unsafe and non-compliant devices following serious incidents, including a Brisbane tunnel crash that led officers to execute search warrants and seize multiple illegal e-bikes from teenagers’ homes.
Meanwhile, Queensland’s peak medical body is urging urgent reform to improve e-bike and e-scooter safety, warning of a rising toll of injuries. Australian Medical Association Queensland branch president Dr Nick Yim said emergency departments are increasingly treating serious injuries linked to these devices.
“We are hearing reports of injuries … across a wide range of age groups,” Yim said. “Obviously we do have the younger age group, which is due to often inexperience when they are sharing the roads with other car users. “We do see, unfortunately, people and adults where alcohol and other drugs are involved.”
The renewed push comes after a series of devastating crashes across Queensland, with 14 people killed in e-mobility incidents in 2025 alone, including children. “We are seeing increased rates of serious injury, and it often can be quite tragic for those individuals and families involved,” Yim said.
