That’s what’s being reported quite widely, anyway. But it turns out the truth may be even worse. Zooming in on a section of northern Brisbane in the map showing only the three types of separated bikeway, we see this:

The two northern-most segments are just clear, standard shared paths:

The next one down is not even that. It’s your standard footpath:

And the fourth one is somehow even worse. It’s…fictional. It doesn’t exist. Not really. It’s a concrete path that doesn’t connect to anything at either end, and is entirely overrun by grass and mud and swamp. This shows one end:

And here’s the other:

That’s the first four paths that I checked, and all four of them are not actually bikeways. They’re not the only ones. The fifth one I checked is the last one on that map, and it is a bikeway, judging by the one sign of it I could find on Google Maps, though I don’t think it goes anywhere remotely useful. But the sixth I checked is on the Kedron Brook, further west around Keperra. And it was also a simple shared path.

Regardless, comfortably over 90% of the “bike paths” in Brisbane are actually footpaths or shared paths. And thus it would be illegal for ebikes to go at more than a slow jogging pace on them, if this bill is passed unamended.

If you ride an ebike, know someone who does, or just like the idea that people should be allowed to ride responsibly, I’d encourage you to make a submission to the inquiry describing your personal experience and saying you don’t approve of the bill. You can find out more information about the bill and how to format a submission here: https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-Committees/Committees/Committee-Details?cid=272&id=8575 or by checking out Space4cyclingbne, Brisbane CBD BUG, or Brisbane West BUG on Facebook, or Bicycle Queensland (on their website or on FB).

Or email the committee directly here: SDIWC@parliament.qld.gov.au