Youth Week, from Thursday 11 April to Sunday 21 April, is an ideal time to highlight safety for skateboards, scooters and bicycles which are used by many young people. During Youth Week Narrandera Shire Council will have an online competition with a bicycle, scooter and skateboard safety quiz available on their website.
Bicycles
Bicycle riders must wear an approved helmet securely fitted and fastened. This includes children on bikes with training wheels and any child being carried as a passenger or in a bicycle trailer. Research shows helmets can reduce serious head injuries by about 70% and reduce fatal head injuries by 65%.
Under the Road Rules a bicycle is considered a vehicle and has the same road rules as other vehicles when being ridden on the road. When a bicycle lane is marked on the road and has bicycle lane signs, bicycle riders must use it unless it is impracticable to do so. There are bicycle lanes at several locations in Narrandera, often linking shared paths.
Shared paths are for use by both pedestrians and bicycle riders of all ages. Children under 16 years of age can ride on a footpath. Allowing children under the age of 16 on the footpath helps keep them safe until they have the skills, decision making and knowledge of the rules to ride safely on the road. An adult rider who is supervising a bicycle rider under 16 may also ride with the young rider on the footpath.
When riding on a footpath or shared path riders should:
• keep left and give way to pedestrians.
• allow pedestrians a metre of space, where possible.
• always travel at a speed that is safe for themselves and the pedestrians they encounter.
• ring their bell, slow down and prepare to stop and give way when approaching pedestrians.
Riders should always be in control of their bicycle. It is an offence to ride with both hands off the handlebars, feet off the pedals or to carry anything that prevents the rider from having control.
E-bikes and Petrol-powered Bicycles
You can only use bicycles that meet the requirements for permitted e-bikes on public roads and road-related areas. Petrol-powered bicycles and other powered bicycles that don't meet the e-bike requirements are illegal on NSW roads and road-related areas such as footpaths, shared paths, cycle ways and cycle paths. You can only use these bikes on private property.
There are two types of permitted e-bikes - power-assisted pedal cycles and electrically power-assisted cycles. The rider must primarily propel these bikes - a motor can't be the only source propelling it. The motor should only help the rider.
Skateboards and Foot Scooters
Skateboards and foot scooters are classified as pedestrians as the definition of a pedestrian includes "a person in or on a wheeled recreational device or wheeled toy". Foot scooters and skateboards may be ridden on footpaths unless signs specifically prohibit them. They can also be ridden on shared paths.
On footpaths riders of foot scooters or skateboards must keep to the left and give way to other pedestrians. Riders should not threaten pedestrians, especially the elderly - they may need to slow down or dismount in busy areas.
Foot scooters and skateboards can only be used on the road during daylight hours. They cannot be used on roads with a dividing line or median strip or a speed limit greater than 50km/h, or a one-way road with more than one marked lane.
To improve safety and enjoyment, foot scooters and skateboards are best ridden in recreational areas designated for their use, such as the Skate Park and Pump Track in Marie Bashir Park.
E-scooters
From July 2022, electric scooter shared schemes are being trialled at selected locations in NSW. Riders in trial locations can hire and ride electric scooters (e-scooters). Personal e-scooters remain illegal on NSW roads and road-related areas, including footpaths, shared paths and bicycle lanes. You can only use these on private property.
