ABOUTOn a trip to Vienna, we watched parents zip along the city's bike paths on electric cargo bikes, laden with bags, groceries, and kids happily chatting to each other in the front locker or back seat.
This inspired us to buy one of our own, but when it arrived I was intimidated by its size and how we would navigate the streets of the Australian city where we live, especially during peak school hours.
After my initial trepidation, I was surprised at how quickly our car rides turned into bike rides. Just like learning to ride, it took some time to learn how to ride a bike, but it soon became our favorite means of transportation for short trips. Maybe we bought it because we gave up our second car, but it was just more fun to see my son smiling on the bike.
Can we make our streets safer so more people will want to try e-cargo bikes? Can they make a difference in reducing transport emissions and what should you consider if you're considering getting one? To find out, I talked to a few early adopters.
Replacing short car trips
Traveling less is main reason People switch to electric bikeswhether to save money, reduce emissions or exercise more. But add children or hobbies, work and groceries into the mix, and things get more complicated.
“Electric cargo bikes with a rack or multiple seats in the front or back are designed to carry stuff and are ideal for short trips of 2 to 6 km,” says Elliott Fishman of the Smart Institute. Transport. In many inner city areas, e-bikes “will be the fastest way to get from point A to point B” over those distances, he said.
Choosing cycling instead of driving saves 300g CO2/km, which is a significant amount for a family if you bike two or three times a day, especially considering how often people ride short distances, Fishman says.
Sydney residents make around 4 million car journeys under 4km every day. According to Fishman, regional cities such as Orange, Grafton, Wollongong or Albury have an even higher proportion of daily car journeys of less than 6km than capital cities.
With transport representing Australia's fastest-growing source of carbon emissions, e-cargo bikes play a niche but important role.
Scout your route
If you're not sure if an e-cargo bike is right for you, Fishman suggests looking at the rides you do each week and figuring out how many of them fall in that 2-6km range. Then map out routes that are safe to drive.
“Look for smaller side streets, explore the route on a regular bike, or hop on Google Street View,” he says.
John Lindley, a Wollongong-based cycling advocate and former neighbor of mine, suggests building confidence by starting with short trips on weekends when there's less time pressure and less traffic.
Before you get there with your little one, check if there is somewhere you can park and lock your bike. You'll also need a secure place to store your bike at home where it can be easily rolled in and out.
Try before you buy
Eat ebike discounts in some statesbut they can be expensive, so you'll want to find one that's right for you. Front loaders, longtail bikes, box bikes – each of them suits different purposes.
Front-loaded bikes are good for carrying small children because it's easier for the rider to see and talk to his small passengers, Fishman said. Older children are great at riding behind.
Manufacturers like Lug+Carrie offer inexpensive rentals, which Fishman says is a good way to see how an e-cargo bike fits into your life. He says that many people end up buying or rent of a cargo electric bike after the trial.
If these programs aren't available to you, Fishman suggests asking your bike shop if you can test drive the bike for at least a half hour, spinning it up and down hills or turning it at slow speeds.
Making the streets safer
Fear of riding in traffic next to cars is “the number one reason people don't cycle,” says Fishman, who has used an e-cargo bike to transport his children around Melbourne on carefully chosen routes since 2012.
Despite their longer-than-usual dimensions and wider turning radius, e-cargo bikes are fairly easy to maneuver with pedals, he says.
Using modal filters (barriers that prevent certain vehicles from passing) to create bike-friendly corridors is the cheapest, fastest and easiest way a city can make biking safer, Fishman said. Placing modal filters on strategically selected routes such as Canning Street in Melbourne's northor through Redfern in Sydney, slows down traffic and reduces speed in traffic jams, and encourages people who don't feel comfortable riding on busy roads to get around by bike.
Directing cyclists onto select streets also concentrates cyclists on those routes, and research shows that the number of cyclists increases. increases driver safety.
Lindley says speed limit reduced to 30 km/h it is the fairest way to make streets safer for all road users.
Reduced speed limits sharply reduces the likelihood and consequences of accidents, especially fatal ones, and contrary to the expectations of most drivers, this has virtually no effect on car travel time and improves traffic flow.
Lindley has been carrying his three children on an electric cargo bike for more than 10 years, but says he has never stopped feeling vulnerable on a bike.
“That was the biggest mental barrier for me,” Lindley says of traveling with her children. But his reasons for purchasing an e-cargo bike were a strong motivator: it was cheaper, greener, and most importantly, it meant he could continue riding with his kids and help them develop healthy habits.
“You see the joy the kids get from it, the time you spend with them… [and] it encourages you to use it more.”
