e-bikes are good

“I want to get an e-bike.” The mobility just seems incredible.”

And it is.

A friend made that comment recently on one of my Strava e-bike commuting rides.

It’s possible to ride an e-bike around Charlottesville and the immediate urban ring of Albemarle County. Mostly safely – note: paint is not infrastructure.  (also, I highly recommend having a radar) Since I bought my e-bike late last year, I’ve put over 300 miles on my e-bike just around the City of Charlottesville, mostly on two to five mile rides that would have otherwise required me to drive. Not driving is better than driving.

This current crisis, shift, or whatever you want to call it is an opportunity for the leaders of Charlottesville and Albemarle to lead. Take this opportunity to build protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, revisit zoning to allow for shops to be intermixed with residences. Make the Charlottesville area more appealing and attractive to those who want to not drive cars or trucks for every little errand. We can and should learn from others.

“”Using energy crisis as catalyst for dramatic transport policy change not unprecedented. Bike-friendliness of cities like (Copenhagen) & Amsterdam can be attributed in part to ’73 oil crisis, which derailed cities’ plans to widen streets, remove bike lanes & build expansive highways”

And … the City and County need to recognize this opportunity and act to build infrastructure that is protected, and contiguous across locality lines. People commute into the City of Charlottesville from other counties. Roads connects. So should bike lanes and sidewalks.

Resources:

• Charlottesville e-bike library
• Charlottesville City e-bike voucher program
  • Charlottesville to award another 36 e-bike vouchers
• Charlottesville local bike shops
  • Blue Ridge Cyclery
  • Blue Wheel Bicycles
  • Endeavor Bicycles

Nearly 57 miles ridden in the past week & a half.

I’m making an effort to do this to save gas, help environment, and hopefully encourage someone else to take that ride or walk instead of driving 2 miles.

If someone thinks about getting an e-bike b/c of this, cool. Even better if they *get* one!