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Former ABC broadcaster Margaret Throsby is recovering in hospital after being struck by an electric fat bike on a shared path in Bulli, requiring hip surgery. Her daughter Holly Throsby has called for e-bike legislation, education and licensing for children.
Former ABC broadcaster Margaret Throsby is recovering in hospital after she was struck by an electric fat bike while walking on a shared path in the Illawarra, south of Sydney last week.
Margaret Throsby injured in collision
The 84-year-old required surgery after the high impact collision with two teenagers on a fat bike left her with an injured hip, thumb and head. Her daughter, musician and author Holly Throsby, said the boys seemed to impact her mother on one side, and she went down on her other side and broke her hip. Holly said it was really quite a sickening scene to witness, because there was so much blood.
Her mother's whole face was really covered in blood, and she had two massive haematomas on her head which was super alarming. The speedy e-bikes with wide, thick tyres and seats big enough for two are commonly seen in coastal regions such as the Illawarra. Holly was contacted by bystanders who came to Margaret's aid, and said police attended the scene at Sandon Drive, Bulli, and have kept in touch about the condition of her mother.
When paramedics arrived and tried to move her, she was in so much pain from the broken hip. They gave her pain relief and got her on a gurney and into the ambulance, and she had surgery the next day on her hip. Holly said her mother was in OK spirits but it would take a long time to recover from the incident.
Police target illegal e-bikes
A NSW police spokesperson said officers spoke with the rider, a 16-year-old boy, and his passenger, who remained on scene and assisted the woman. The teenage riders apologised and waited with Margaret for emergency services to arrive, and inquiries are ongoing into the incident. The next day police conducted Operation Spoiler, targeting the use of illegal e-bikes and trail bikes within the Wollongong and Lake Illawarra districts.
The high visibility operation ran from 8.30am to 6pm and saw traffic and highway patrol officers, assisted by local general duties police, specialist trail bike police, bicycle police, and Polair. During the operation, officers conducted 37 e-bike stops and issued four infringement notices and two cautions in addition to 15 youth warnings. An officer said the operation was unrelated to Throsby's accident. Holly called for legislation to govern the use of e-bikes by kids.
Calls for tighter e-bike restrictions
She said the more appropriate measure would be to look at e-bike legislation, education and training and some kind of licensing system. She said for kids to be riding those bikes, which are massive and heavy, it does seem inevitable that this kind of thing will happen. Margaret said she wanted the use of e-bikes restricted among children because it seemed civically irresponsible to allow unlicensed children to ride such heavy, fast bikes.
She said these fat tyred e-bikes closely resemble motorbikes, and yet it has become completely normalised for them to be ridden by teenagers, often two on one bike, on the same paths as walkers, and often without helmets. She said it feels inevitable that more injuries or even fatalities will occur if there is not some change to legislation and enforcement of existing legislation.
In a statement, a Transport for NSW spokesperson said any serious injury on shared paths was concerning. Restrictions on high-powered e-bikes have been introduced, as the state government explores age limits. The spokesperson said e-bikes can provide a healthy, affordable and sustainable transport option, but bikes must be legal types, and riders must use them safely and follow the road rules.
E-bike rules and safety education
Figures from the Sydney Children's Hospital Network show the number of children coming to hospital with e-bike injuries has risen by a third in the past year to 94. The rules require e-bikes to have a maximum power output of 250 watts, and motorised assistance being cut out at 25 kilometres an hour. NSW Police can now stop and inspect e-bikes suspected of being non-compliant and have powers to seize illegal devices.
E-bike Safety Australia's Ben Horwood said the incident highlighted a need for better education. He said young riders, particularly those without a driver's licence, need to have mandatory education and also have accountability having an ID tag on the back of a bike. He is calling for measures like licence tags and education in school to be explored by the state government.
Mr Horwood's company runs e-bike safety courses in 12 NSW high schools, including Bulli High School in the Illawarra. He said an e-bike is a high-powered vehicle for a 12-year-old, and they have not been taught how to ride it in 90 per cent of the cases and they have no understanding of road rules.
Throsby's distinguished ABC career
Margaret Throsby AO joined the ABC in 1967 and was the first woman to read national radio news in 1975 and, in 1978, the first woman to present national television news. She hosted a high-rating morning program, The Margaret Throsby Show, on ABC Radio Sydney and in more recent years hosted various programs on ABC Classic FM and Radio National. She spent 55 years as a renowned presenter across the ABC.
Holly said her mother was in excellent health and she expected her to recover well although it may take some time with rehabilitation needed for her hip.
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GuardianAus:Former ABC broadcaster Margaret Throsby recovering in hospital after being hit by ebikeThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Margaret Throsby Holly Throsby Abc Abc Classic Shared Paths E-Bike Collison Transport For Nsw Safety Laws E-Bike Accident Bulli Illawarra E-Bike Legislation NSW Safety E-Bike Crash Bulli E-Bike Safety Laws Operation Spoiler
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