Radio legend calls for e-bike crackdown after being injured by one

Legendary broadcaster Margaret Throsby has called for a crackdown on “overpowered” e-bikes after being seriously injured when she was struck by one.

The former ABC radio presenter suffered several bones and head injuries when she collided with two teenagers riding a “fat bike” on a walking track in the Illawarra, south of Sydney.

Last week’s accident was “terrifying” for her, but not unexpected, Throsby told A Current Affair.

She had been “overwhelmed” by people sharing their concerns about e-bike accidents in their neighbourhoods.

“Kids are riding around on what are effectively electric motorbikes that can reach 50km/h, without a licence and often without a helmet, on footpaths and shared pedestrian/bike paths.

“We urgently need a better response that is not just about more policing. These are kids being kids.

“Their brains are still developing.

“This is a problem that is for adults to solve and the solution needs to keep everybody safe.”

Throsby, 84, said she was not blaming the two teenage boys riding the e-bikes who collided with her, praising one for cushioning her head with his shirt while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

“It’s important to remember that not all ebikes are dangerous. I see parents riding around safely with their kids on the back all the time,” she said.

“This is about those overpowered fat bikes that are being imported and sold across the country that are doing real harm.

“We need clearer regulation, consumer education and safe cycle paths.”

Throsby spent this week recovering from her injuries in hospital.

Her daughter, musician and novelist Holly Throsby, told The Sydney Morning Herald Throsby is expected to spend another week there.

“Her spirits are up and down – she’s in quite a lot of pain,” she said.

“She’s just coming to terms with how the (recovery) process will take.”