Decision details

Moved by Councillor Worling, seconded by Councillor Thompson –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         share bikes first appeared on Sydney streets in 2017. They have been allowed to operate unregulated by the NSW Government since this time

(ii)        share bikes provide an important transport option in the City of Sydney local government area, with more than 21,000 trips each day and around 10,000 share bikes in operation in our area

(iii)       however, there is strong community concern about bikes obstructing footpaths and reducing accessibility for people walking, including people with disability and those using mobility aids. These concerns cannot be resolved without strong regulation to require orderly parking and to enable effective enforcement, plus appropriate caps on share bike fleet sizes

(iv)       on 14 August 2026, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) commenced a staged implementation of a new statewide regulatory framework for shared e-bike and e-scooter schemes. This includes requirements for insurance, helmets, device standards, device identification, the provision of data on trips, crashes and complaints

(v)        however, the Transport for NSW regulations, as they stand, do not go far enough to ensure these bikes don't come at the expense of pedestrian safety, accessibility, and public amenity, as they:

(a)        legalise footpath clutter by allowing share bikes to be parked ‘within 3 metres’ of the boundaries of bike parking bays that local councils designate for share bikes

(b)        do not provide a workable parking enforcement solution for councils with regulations being simultaneously too permissive of poorly parked share bikes and too complex and impractical for rangers to fine share bike companies

(c)        appear to give councils power over the number of share bikes deployed in our area by allowing us to nominate a ‘target fleet size’, but ultimately Transport for NSW will set the maximum fleet number

(d)        put forward a funding model which favours Transport for NSW with 75% ($0.60) of the per trip fee, leaving councils with the remaining $0.20 per trip, even though councils are responsible for delivering on-the-ground solutions. Councils will need to spend precious resources applying for grants to access Transport for NSW funding, diverting time away from other projects

(B)       Council further note:

(i)         the City of Sydney is advocating for the NSW Government to start with a small number of operators and a smaller number of devices. This can reset the system and create community support for increasing the number of bikes (and operators) over time

(ii)        as of July 2026, the City of Sydney had installed 85 on-road share bike parking bays and 166 on footpaths. There are 300 more micromobility parking bays (MP bays) planned by mid-2028 to provide for the more orderly parking of shared bikes

(iii)       the Lord Mayor has been raising concerns and calling for the NSW Government to introduce share bike regulations since 2017

(iv)       most recently the Lord Mayor met with the Minister for Transport on this matter in July 2026 and wrote to him after the regulations were released in August 2026

(C)       Council endorse the submission of the following motion to the 2026 Local Government NSW Annual Conference:

That Local Government NSW writes to the NSW Government seeking amendments to the shared micromobility regulatory framework to ensure councils have greater authority to manage shared micromobility operations in their areas, including that:

(i)      shared micromobility operators and users are required to comply with stronger parking controls, including with shared micromobility devices being required to be parked:

(a)     within designated bays rather than on surrounding footpaths, in mandatory parking zones

(b)     in a way that does not block footpaths – whether within a mandatory parking zone or in an area of “free floating” share bike parking

(ii)     councils are given practical enforcement powers to address non-compliant parking and reduce footpath clutter and accessibility impacts

(iii)     the NSW Government must determine the maximum number of shared micromobility operators deployed in a local government area based on council advice

(iv)    councils receive 75% of per-trip fees collected from shared micromobility operators.

Carried unanimously.

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