Paris and Amsterdam are both renowned for transforming themselves into bike-friendly cities through massive investments in cycling infrastructure and sustainable urban planning.
Sydney is the leading Australian city to have embraced the idea of being bike-friendly. But it is facing growing problems with the rapid expansion of hire e-bikes, which is challenging governments and communities to adjust to the runaway success of dockless bike-sharing schemes.
Dockless bike-sharing got off to a bumpy start in Australia nine years ago with push-bikes. Companies flooded in only to face public and council pushbacks over street clutter, stolen helmets and vandalism. Most pulled out.
But now, demand is growing. In the City of Sydney, share-bike trips climbed to 3.7 million in 2025 – up 91 per cent on the previous year. The e-bike fleet surged from 13,000 in January to more than 20,000 by April, with Lime, the city’s longest-running shared e-bike operator, accounting for the lion’s share. The US-based company has a fleet of roughly 14,000 bikes and is expanding across council areas from the northern beaches to Canada Bay, Bayside and Randwick. It has signalled plans to push into Parramatta.
But the rollout has again exposed the divide between those who see the company’s bright-green bikes as a convenient, environmentally friendly transport option and those who argue they are cluttering footpaths, creating safety hazards and degrading public spaces.
Caught in the middle are local councils, which under legislative frameworks have limited powers to prevent operators from entering their areas despite being left to manage complaints, parking issues and law enforcement.
Late last year, the Minns government introduced legislation to empower state and local governments to hold share-bike and scooter companies to account, hoping to reduce the number of discarded bikes. E-bike operators would be forced to pay for dedicated parking bays and for council rangers to crack down on the bikes being strewn on footpaths and other public places.
But as David Barwell writes, submissions from councils reveal dissatisfaction with the proposed funding model, including reforms that would require operators to pay an 80¢ fee per trip. Transport for NSW would retain 60¢ while councils would receive 20¢ per trip to cover enforcement, complaints and infrastructure costs.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore described the proposal as an “outrageous funding grab that would leave councils out of pocket”.
The complaints a decade ago when e-bikes arrived about untidy footpaths and aggressive riding can be heard again. However, the experience of overseas bike-friendly cities shows that share-bike schemes can work.
Councils, state government and bike companies must co-operate to meet the challenges of a new form of transport that will hopefully become a healthy, environmentally friendly travel option for residents of this city.
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