<
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-09/denver-s-e-bike-rebate-program-has-a-hidden-power>
"So much for Mile High City. Denver residents are embracing a new moniker:
E-bike City.
In April 2022, the city began offering residents $400 off a new electric bike
or $900 off an e-cargo bike, with low-income residents eligible for an
additional $800 discount. The program was a sensation: Over 4,700 Denverites
snapped up a voucher in 2022, forcing overwhelmed city staff to pause the
application process. The rebates’ value dropped in 2023, but the city’s newest
batch of 860 vouchers, distributed in January, were still snapped up in about
20 minutes.
Mayor Michael Hancock took a victory lap in a press release last month that
credited the new e-bikes for already replacing over 100,000 car miles: “This
program showed there was a desire in our community for new, sustainable
mobility options.”
Beyond reducing emissions, all that e-biking likely improved residents’ health,
too — provided, of course, that riders don’t get struck by a motor vehicle.
Like many US cities, biking in Denver traffic can be uncomfortable and
sometimes perilous. Last December two people were killed while biking there.
In fact, Denver’s need for better bike infrastructure points to a hidden power
of e-bike incentives. Thanks to the rebates, many residents will get their
first taste of the joys and anxieties of navigating their city on two wheels.
That experience could compel them to add their voice to those already clamoring
for better bike accommodations.
Amplified calls for street safety could be among the most powerful legacies of
e-bike rebate programs — not only in Denver, but in the many US states and
cities now considering launching their own. If so, they could finally put to
rest questions of whether to upgrade bike infrastructure before or only after
many residents are riding, a challenge that has bedeviled US cities."
Via
The Fixer March 1, 2023:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/climate-action-is-a-four-day-work-week/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
