09 November 2021

E-bike boom

Transport is electrifying, and e-bikes and e-scooters are leading the way. 

They will convert millions of non-cyclists in a few years and have the potential to provide urban transport to tens or hundreds of millions over a decade or so. They will lead to calls to modify transport infrastructure. 

Why? Fun, convenient, clean, fast, quiet. 

And no parking worries nor massive parking congestion issues for planners (you can squeeze 10-20 ebikes or escooters in each current parking space for an automobile -- and the folding escooter can often be stored inside an office). 

For many urban trips for many people, they are the best option.  Anyone designing an office or mixed use complex today would be wise to take these transport options into account. And any transport planner would be wise to come up with solutions that allow all of these transport methods that are "in between" walking and traditional motor vehicles to co-exist safely on our roadways. That will not be simple.

Twenty years from now, we should see only a fraction of the current traditional cars and trucks on the road. We will use eVTOL air taxis for longer hauls and faster trips to places not served by trains; ebikes for shorter ones and the "last mile" to/from train or highway bus stops, and of course we cyclists will still be riding under their own power and should remain part of the picture!

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/business/e-bikes-urban-transit.html?referringSource=articleShare



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