An e-bike rider has died after slamming into a garbage truck, fuelling calls to regulate the increasingly popular form of transport.

Emergency services were called to the scene of the collision in Ultimo, in central Sydney, early on Tuesday.

The cyclist, a man in his 30s, was treated by paramedics but could not be saved. The 28-year-old truck driver was taken to hospital for mandatory testing.

NSW is the only state where Australians can buy a 500-watt e-bike, meaning users can travel at up to 60km/h.

In Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, riders are limited to 250 watt e-bikes, and NSW Premier Chris Minns is considering lowering the limit in his state as well.

“I’ve seen some particularly young kids on bikes that are more like motorbikes,” he told Sydney radio 2GB.

“There’s very little pedalling going on.

“In some cases, fat bikes … can go as fast as a car, and as a result, people are going to get hurt.”

Sophie Scamps, the independent MP for Mackellar in Sydney’s northern beaches, echoed the sentiment, calling on the federal government to reinstate a national importation standard for e-bikes that would cap speeds to 25km/h and 250 watts and include an anti-tampering requirement.

“I’ve been working hard to make sure we don’t have preventable tragedies in our community, particularly with the summer school holidays upon us and inevitable increased e-bike use,” she said.

Ahead of the Christmas holiday period, police have urged parents not to bow to pressure to purchase the most powerful e-bikes as gifts.

“We don’t want a Christmas present to become the ultimate buyer’s regret,” NSW traffic and highway patrol commander David Driver said.

During a two-day e-bike crackdown in late November, NSW Police seized two e-bikes and one e-scooter after issuing 176 infringements.

More than 30 food delivery motor scooters were also stopped, while 14 infringements were given to bike riders.

-AAP