Recent changes to the NSW Road Rules, which remove outdated weight limits for power
wheelchairs and motorised mobility scooters (known as Motorised Mobility Devices -
MMDs) used by people with physical disability are welcomed by the Physical Disability
Council of NSW.
PDCN has been advocating for the onerous weight restriction to be lifted for several
years, emphasizing the practical problems these rules caused our members.
Previous weight limits for MMDs used in NSW prevented people with disability from using
certain, essential models of MMDs or in other cases, needing to do as no other suitable
option was available, and risking legal action if an incident occurred when they did. It also
effectively cut residents of NSW who use MMDs off from a significant part of the overseas
MMD market that offered major functional and technical improvements.
In highlighting the practical impact of the weight rules, Physical Disability Council of NSW,
CEO, Ms. Serena Ovens states “We literally had situations where people had gone to the
cost and effort of purchasing MMDs, and were told “this is too heavy, it’s illegal to use this to
get around and you can’t use it in our grounds”.
“At the same time, the weight restrictions were limiting our members’ ability to import newer,
more advanced models of MMDs – it was an arbitrary rule with little to no practical
justification and had serious impacts on our members’ independence and capacity to
engage in community life”.
The amendments to the Road Rules, introduced on 1 September 2021, remove any
references to weight restrictions for people using MMDs as pedestrians, including mobility
scooters and power wheelchairs.
PDCN thank the Minister for Roads and Transport, The Hon. Andrew Constance and his
department for addressing this long-term issue for our many wheelchair & mobility scooter user members.
The Physical Disability Council of NSW (PDCN) is the peak representative organisation of, and for, people with physical disability across New South Wales. PDCN has a significant majority of people with physical disability in its membership, its governance (ie Board), and employees.
PDCN is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation.
This page is designed to give your information on What We Do, Our Purpose, Our Constitutional Objectives, How We Can Help You and Information of Membership for individuals and organisations.. https://www.pdcnsw.org.au/
