Scooter and Motorcycle Surf Board Rules in Queensland

Most of our customers want the option to have a Surfboard on a Motorcycle or Scooter so they can hit the beach with ease, and doesn’t the Sunshine Coast Noosa have some good reasons to attract surfie enthusiasts?

Scooter Style Noosa Motorcycles provides the best Surf Rack options and we also fit them!

Here is what you need to know to convert your two-wheel ride into a surfboard transportation vehicle! CURRENT QUEENSLAND LAW

Article info found online:

Queensland law restricts the permitted load that a scooter can carry to no more than 300mm behind the rear tyre as prescribed by section 33 Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Mass, Dimensions, and Loading) Regulation 2005 relevantly states

(a) for a motorbike without a sidecar

No more than 150mm ( 15 CM ) in front of the outer extremity of the motorbike’s front wheel;

No more than 300mm (30 CM ) behind the outer extremity of the motorbike’s back wheel; Or past the outer extremity of the motorbike on either side.

Source: Jason Kerr Transport Legislation (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2019 Submission No. 01

SUBMISSION TO LEGALISE THE USE OF SURFBOARD RACKS FOR MOPEDS, MOTORBIKES AND SCOOTERS

THE NOOSA EXPERIENCE

The iconic Noosa point breaks of First Point, Little Cove, National Tea Tree, and Granite Bay have worldwide recognition in the surfing world and form an integral part of the Noosa brand. Surfing these points has, however, come at a price in terms of the frustration of dealing with crowds and car parking at National Park and Little Cove. There is fierce competition for car parking at National Park during large surf it is not uncommon to see assaults, willful damage to vehicles, and general road rage. In August 2008 the Sunshine Coast Regional Council made sensible car parking upgrades to the retail precinct of Hasting Street by adding 25 scooter carparks to encourage the use of motorbikes and scooters as part of an integrated solution to alleviate the local car parking problem (see Attachment 2). That innovation be duplicated at National Park and produce a ‘win/win’ for the community by reducing carpark congestion and encouraging low-carbon travel but this simple and innovative solution is stifled by narrow-minded policy regulation that outlaws the use of surfboard racks on scooters. Local speed limits in Noosa are 50-60km/hr and slower speeds naturally reduce the injury risk profile to pedestrians and the effects of any wind sheer on the rider. In addition, any concerns about wind sheer acting on a surfboard during transit by a scooter are minimized because generally, when winds are strong the surf will be poor and a person is unlikely to go surfing in any event. If common sense prevails, Noosa and all coastal communities should be granted exemption status for scooters carrying surfboards of no greater than 10 feet in length. 7. CLOSING COMMENTARY Scooter surfboard racks encourage low carbon footprint travel for surfing which is part of our Australian culture. That in turn, provides an innovative solution to car parking problems experienced on the Sunshine Coast and would produce a ‘win/win’ for all Queensland coastal communities. The law does not balance the benefits of scooter surfboard racks against perceived safety concerns and goes too far. This submission petitions the Queensland Government to grant unrestricted exemption status for scooters using surfboard racks. Alternately, if community safety requires further protection then additional safeguards could include:- (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) the hook section of the surfboard rack can be rotated in or removed completely when not in use which mirrors the fishing rod holder/bulbar scenario; any exemption should be limited to private scooters and should not apply to hire use; when in use, the speed of the scooter carrying a surfboard should not exceed 60km/hr to reduce injury risk; and surfboards should be limited to no greater than 10ft in length which is the design limitation of the surfboard rack and the length of a modern competition noseriding surfboard used at Noosa.

Extracted from most recent and online available information…