Cyclists

Contents

• Helmets and safe cycling
• Sharing roads and footpaths
• Offences and penalties
• eBikes
• Publications

Helmets and safe cycling

Whether you are riding as a commuter, on a group ride or as a family for recreation, cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users. Between 2016 and 2020, 507 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in collisions with motor vehicles on WA roads. The following advice is a guide on how to stay safe while on your bike.

• Helmets are compulsory in Western Australia, and all cyclists must wear an approved helmet while in motion, unless exempted. Approved helmets carry a sticker or label certifying they have passed stringent safety tests. When choosing a helmet, look for labels similar to those below. 

• Be seen by drivers and other road users in hours of darkness or bad weather. Although not mandatory, cyclists should wear brightly coloured or reflective clothing to increase visibility.
• Lights and reflectors on your bike are mandatory if you ride at night or in any weather conditions that reduce visibility. This includes a flashing or steady white light on the front of the bicycle and a flashing or steady red light on the rear of the bicycle that needs to be clearly visible for at least 200 metres. A red reflector is required on the rear of the bicycle that is visible for at least 50m when light is projected onto it by a vehicle’s headlight on low beam. You need two yellow side reflectors on each wheel and yellow pedal reflectors on both sides of each pedal.
• Ride to conditions, slow down in wet weather and allow enough distance to brake. Monitor your speed, as riding too fast can put you and others at risk. If overtaking pedestrians or other cyclists leave a safe distance and enough time to pass.

Sharing roads and footpaths

Cycling on the road

• Cyclists can ride two abreast on the road, with up to 1.5m between riders.
• It is illegal to ride less than 2m behind a vehicle.
• Cyclists cannot pass on the left of a vehicle that is turning left.
• Cyclists are not permitted to ride their bikes on freeways or in pedestrian malls.
• Cyclists can use the left lane of a roundabout when turning right, but must give way to vehicles exiting a roundabout.

Sharing footpaths

• Cyclists of all ages may ride on footpaths in WA, unless otherwise signed.
• Cyclists must ride in single file on footpaths.
• Pedestrians, including mobility scooters and motorised wheelchair users, always have right of way.
• Cyclists should use their bell to alert other shared path users that a bicycle is approaching.
• Cyclists should use their bell to alert pedestrians/mobility scooter operators/motorised wheelchair users that a bicycle is approaching.
• Drivers must give way to cyclists at driveways, but cyclists should slow down to ensure they have been seen.
• Animals must not be tied to a moving bike.
• Animals and children on footpaths can be unpredictable. Cyclists should slow and cycle to the conditions.
• Cyclists and eRiders no longer need to dismount at pedestrian crossings and can simply ride across. This new rule applies when the rider enters the crossing from the connected path and not the road. Riders must not exceed 10km/h and give way to any pedestrians when riding over the crossing.

For information about motorists' obligations towards cyclists and related offences and penalties, see our page on overtaking.

Visit our Get Streetwise website for quizzes and videos on cycling and sharing the road safely.

Take the Cycling Get Streetwise Quiz

Offences and penalties

Please note: legally speaking a bicycle is a vehicle, so all road laws that apply to vehicles apply to cyclists as well, unless they are expressly excluded. 

Cyclists share the same rights and responsibilities as drivers and must obey the road rules. The following penalties apply to cyclists specifically.

eBikes

eBike rules overview

The major rules that apply to eBikes are:

• Riders must be 16 years or older to use an eBike with its motor engaged.
• The motor can have a maximum power output up to 250 watts.
• The bike needs human power to make it move - it is not meant to be ridden using the motor alone (like a motorcycle).
• The road rules applying to regular bicycle riders also apply to eBike riders.

Not all electric bicycles sold in WA are legal to ride on WA roads and paths. Always check before you buy. eBikes that don’t meet the requirements for power assisted pedal cycles cannot be legally used on WA roads or paths.

Which eBikes are ALLOWED on WA roads and paths?

Only eBikes that fit within the definition of a ‘power assisted pedal cycle’ are allowed to be used on roads and paths. These are bikes designed to be moved using human power with some assistance from a motor.

Two different rules apply to the power output of legal eBikes:

• It can have an electric motor of up to 250 watts if it complies with European Standard EN 15194 (a Pedalec). 
• If it is not a Pedalec, it can have a petrol or electric motor up to 200 watts. 

If an eBike has more than one motor, the limit applies to the total power output of all motors.

On Pedalecs, the power assistance will cut out once a speed of 25km/h is reached.

To see if a bike is a Pedalec, look for a sticker indicating that it complies with the European Standard EN 15194. This is an easy way to make sure that your eBike is allowed to be ridden legally on WA roads and paths.

Which eBikes are NOT allowed on WA roads and paths?

eBikes that don’t meet the definition of a power assisted pedal cycle are not allowed to be ridden on WA roads or paths. This includes any bike that:

• Is mostly designed to be ‘driven’ by the motor instead of using human power.
• Can be ridden using a throttle alone (no human power).
• Has a motor or motors with a power output higher than 250 watts. 

Non-compliant eBikes are considered to be unlicensed motor vehicles under the law. If your eBike doesn’t meet the rules, it may be seized and disposed of by police. You may also be fined $500.

eBikes are not considered to be eRideables (electric rideable devices such as scooters, skateboards etc). eRideables have their own set of rules, which can be found on our eRideables page. 

What are the road rules for riding eBikes on roads and paths?

People riding legal eBikes are generally subject to the same rules as bicycle riders (with the exception that you must be at least 16 years old to ride an eBike with the motor engaged). The rules are listed at the top of this page.