March 2021 - CalBike

Book Review: Cycling for Sustainable Cities

March 30, 2021/by Laura McCamy

MIT Press has just published an important new book of scholarly research on bicycle trends: Cycling for Sustainable Cities. The book covers topics ranging from safe bicycle infrastructure to social justice considerations for bicycle planning to cycling in a variety of cities and countries around the globe. It is an essential volume, filled with actionable data, that will instantly become essential for bike planners and advocates.

The editors are urban transportation researchers and professors, Ralph Buehler and John Pucher. CalBike interviewed them last year about their research on U.S. traffic fatalities and what California can learn about traffic safety from Europe. The book is a follow-up to and, to some extent, an update of their 2012 volume, City Cycling.

An essential and accessible reference for bicycle advocates

While the chapters are surveys of scholarly research, the writing style is accessible and the information is easy to digest. The contributors include bicycle advocates and bike program managers, as well as academics. CalBike’s Executive Director, Dave Snyder, is one of the authors of the chapter about cycling advocacy on three continents (North America, Europe, and Australia).

Whatever bicycle transportation topic you want to nerd out about, you’ll probably find it here. The chapter on bicycle parking is a welcome reference on a vital but too often overlooked topic. The bikeshare chapter includes valuable insights about what leads bikesharing systems to success or failure.

The chapter on e-bikes covers a subject that is at the top of mind at CalBike. The e-bike research showed that, given the chance to try out e-bikes, people start to use bikes for more and longer trips. But, not surprisingly, surveys find that e-bike riders trend older and wealthier. CalBike’s e-bike affordability program is a great way to bridge that gap and get more people on e-bikes.

“It’s rare that a scholarly book of data and research can serve as an essential reference in the age of global internet searches, but this is that book,” said Snyder. “It’s like a guidebook for bicycle advocacy and planning.”

Cycling for Sustainable Cities is an enlightening read as well as an excellent reference book. It’s a must-read for bicycle advocates.

Join a webinar for a deep dive into Cycling for Sustainable Cities

The first webinar on the book takes place on March 31. Anyone can register.

What: Zoom webinar hosted by the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Authority (MPO)
When: Mar 31, 2021, 9 am Pacific Daylight Time
Topic: Cycling for Sustainable Cities
Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7QmUJnFQSr6aqih4Ym8kfQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite with information about joining the webinar. You’ll get a Zoom link and password, both specific to you, which you will need to access the webinar on March 31.

#ebikestories Episode 5: Running Errands on an E-Bike

March 29, 2021/by Laura McCamy

One of the main things that people use their cars for is running errands. Most of those trips are short enough to take by bike. When you add an electric boost, the remaining barriers melt away. When CalBike asked you to share e-bike stories to support our campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program, many of you told us how much you love running errands on an e-bike. Here are a few of those stories.

Eli Akira Kaufman, Los Angeles

In December, we welcomed a new member to our family [pictured in the featured image] and determined to expose our baby to the joy, health benefits, self-reliance, and sustainability of bicycling invested in an e-cargo bike. Of all the baby gear we’ve gotten, our e-bike is hands down the most essential to our health and happiness as a growing family.

We use our e-bike daily to get outside exercise, run errands around the neighborhood (especially trading baby items with our local https://buynothingproject.org/ group), and to stay connected with the people and places we love. We are replacing an average of 20 dreadful car miles with glorious bike miles per week and Gia is only eight weeks old!

Meghan Sahli-Wells (& Karim Sahli), Culver City

My husband and I bought e-bikes and consequently got rid of our car (we still have a minivan for work and camping). I had long been a bike commuter, but my husband had not. Our e-bikes have allowed us to go further, faster & have replaced all but a very small number of trips. We’ve been working from home, so our trips are mostly short ones to the grocery store, hardware store, doctor, etc. We’re saving money on insurance and gas, while boosting our health & the health of the planet.

It’s been transformational!

Sasha Kinney, Sacramento

I LOVE my e-bike. I use it in place of my car. Grocery trips, friends’ houses, bike rides for the hell of it all happen on my e-bike. I love the speed of it (20 mph), that I can coast, pedal or not pedal, and carry lots of stuff (I have a front basket, back rack, and a trailer if I need it). I am always recommending that family members and friends buy an e-bike for commuting.

I also use my e-bike for Mercy Pedalers, a non-profit that delivers goods to people experiencing homelessness. (photo attached). And I use it to go to the grocery store, which is a couple of miles from my house. I ride my bike about 10 miles a week.

Peter Spirer, Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles

My e-bike arrived in October. Since then I’ve ridden over 350 miles. I travel for light groceries food pickups and errands around town. I’ve cut the use of my car down to only a few days a week. One of the benefits of having an e-bike is that I’ve spent a third of what I used to on gas. I like to bike before but could not go down the hill and come up easily which the e-bike has made easy. I’ve replaced many of my trips with my e-bike. More people should be traveling by e-bike.

Maureen Persico, San Francisco

My car was destroyed by an uninsured driver. Decided to take a risk and put insurance money toward a top e-bike. I live in a city with lots of hills so I needed a dependable bike with a strong motor. My spouse agreed if I promised we’d buy a car later. Well, we’ve never looked back.

Been car-free for 10 years now. I get more exercise, and while people my age slowly gain weight I’ve been able to maintain my weight and health thanks to using a bicycle as my main method of transportation.

Buying my e-bike was a major step on a life transformation. I created a program with a non-profit where I packed and delivered by e-bike donated art supplies to schools and museums throughout San Francisco. I connected with bicycle and car-free activists on Twitter and we advocate and politically support bicycle infrastructure in the City.

I co-created People Protected (@PeopleProtected), which calls bicycle infrastructure advocates together to stand on the painted bike lane line to protect bicyclists from car traffic. It’s an idea that has spread to eight countries. I was honored by the San Francisco Bike Coalition and The New Wheel bike shop for this work. I’ve created #We Are Fragile art installations which I place on Slow Streets. All this because I bought an e-bike and ditched my car.

Do you have a story about running errands on an e-bike? Or riding on steep terrain, riding with age, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Tweet your e-bike story @CalBike or share it with us on Facebook using the hashtag #ebikestories.

Do you believe everyone deserves to be able to purchase an e-bike? Support CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike afforadbility program. Sign our petition.

I Support the $10M E-Bike Affordability Program

CalBike Announces New Legislation to Eliminate Jaywalking Tickets in California

March 25, 2021/by Jared Sanchez

March 25, 2021

March 25, 2021

For Immediate Release

Contact:

CalBike: Jared Sanchez, jared@calbike.org | 714-262-0921
California Walks: Caro Jauregui, caro@calwalks.org | 562-320-2139
Los Angeles Walks: John Yi, john@losangeleswalks.org | 213-219-2483

CalBike Announces New Legislation to Eliminate Jaywalking Tickets in California

San Francisco: Jaywalking is arbitrarily enforced throughout California. When it is, tickets are disproportionately given to Black Californians, and sometimes these encounters with police turn life-threatening. In an effort to reform this unfair system, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) — along with CalBike, California Walks, and Los Angeles Walks — has introduced AB 1238, The Freedom To Walk Act, which would decriminalize jaywalking.

“Whether it’s someone’s life or the hundreds/thousands of dollars in fines, the cost is too much for a relatively minor infraction,” said Ting at a San Francisco press conference. “It’s time to reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really do protect pedestrians and all road users.”

The Freedom To Walk Act promotes the fair and equitable use of roadways by:

Legalizing crossings, when safe, outside of a marked or unmarked crosswalk or against a traffic light;
Stopping the undue financial burden of jaywalking tickets on low-income people, whose fines can range to hundreds of dollars, if not more, because of added fees tacked on by the court, county, city, and others;
Preventing police from using jaywalking as a pretext to stop Black Californians; and
Ending the criminalization of people in disadvantaged communities that lack adequate pedestrian infrastructure.

“Jaywalking laws do more than turn an ordinary and logical behavior into a crime; they also create opportunities for police to racially profile. A stop for a harmless infraction like jaywalking can turn into a potentially life-threatening police encounter, especially for Black people, who are disproportionately targeted and suffer the most severe consequences of inequitable law enforcement,” said Jared Sanchez of the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike), co-sponsor of The Freedom To Walk Act.

“Low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to be cited for crossing unsafely due to societal racial bias and poor crosswalk conditions in their neighborhoods that emphasize drivers’ needs over other road users. Walking should not be a dangerous activity in the communities where people rely on walking for transportation,” said Caro Jauregui, Co-Executive Director of California Walks.

“It’s time we stop blaming pedestrians for trying to navigate streets that all too often prioritize cars and fast traffic. If we want neighborhoods that are community-centered, where our children and seniors can move with safety and ease, let us begin by treating those who walk or roll with some dignity,” said John Yi, Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks.

There are many examples of where a jaywalking stop has gone wrong in California. The most recent case occurred in September of 2020, when San Clemente Police killed Kurt Reinhold. In the Bay Area, Chinedu Okobi was killed more than two years ago in Millbrae by San Mateo County deputies. And in 2017, Nandi Cain Jr. was beaten by Sacramento Police. The victims in each of these cases were Black, and video captured each incident.

Jaywalking citation statistics highlight the way that this harmless behavior is used to target and victimize communities of color through pretextual policing. From 2018-2020, data compiled by the California Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) shows Black Californians are disproportionately stopped for jaywalking, up to four-and-a-half times more than their White counterparts.

Jaywalking laws were invented in the 1930s by the emerging auto industry as an attempt to shift the blame from drivers to walkers after the number of deadly car crashes skyrocketed. Over the years, street design has prioritized the needs of drivers, failing to accommodate people who aren’t in cars.

California has already begun making changes. In 2018, crossing at a traffic light after the countdown meter has begun was legalized. The Freedom to Walk Act repeals the state’s remaining jaywalking laws. Other countries, including the United Kingdom, have shown that this can be done safely. The U.K. allows pedestrians to cross mid-block, yet it has roughly half as many pedestrian deaths as the United States.

In March 2021, Virginia became the first state to decriminalize jaywalking. Last summer, the New York Attorney General recommended that the State of New York do the same. California needs to pass The Freedom to Walk Act and decriminalize jaywalking. It’s the right thing to do.

Safety Stop Wins Support of Transportation Committee

March 23, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

On March 22, 2021, the Assembly Transportation Committee approved the Safety Stop Bill (AB 122, Boerner-Horvath). The CalBike-sponsored legislation will make it legal for bikes to treat stop signs as yields. If the Safety Stop Bill wins the support of the entire legislature, bicyclists can proceed without stopping if there is no other traffic in the intersection and it’s safe to proceed.

At the hearing, Assemblymembers Laura Friedman and Buffy Wicks signed on as co-sponsors. CalBike Executive Director Dave Snyder was among those who spoke in support. The bill passed out of committee by a vote of 10-4.

The Safety Stop is safer: a similar law in Delaware led to a 23% reduction in bicycle crashes at intersections.

Safety stop wins wide support, narrow opposition

The list of supporters of the Safety Stop Bill is a who’s who of bicycle advocacy and active transit organizations from across California. The bill got statewide support from groups like the Safe Routes Partnership, PolicyLink, Transform, and California Walks, among others. National bicycle champions People for Bikes also signed on in support, as did the Berkeley City Council.

The only group that signed on to oppose the Safety Stop Bill is the California Association of Highway Patrolmen. Apparently, the CHP wants to protect its right to cite less than 200 bicyclists a year for this safe and commonsense behavior. Two AAA clubs opposed the bill unless the committee made specific revisions. The committee did not make AAA’s suggested revisions, though it did make modifications to the bill’s language. The committee also added a sunset date of 2028. The safety stop will no longer be legal at that time unless the legislature takes action to make it permanent.

What’s next for the Safety Stop Bill

The next stop for the Safety Stop Bill is the full Assembly. Your calls and emails to your assembly members will help ensure that the safety stop wins the votes it needs to move on to the Senate. We’ll let you know when it’s time to step up for the Safety Stop Bill.

E-BIKE Act Will Create Vital Tax Credit for E-Bikes

March 22, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

On February 11, 2021, California Representative Jimmy Panetta introduced the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act (E-BIKE Act). The bill is now making its way (slowly) through the committee process in the House.

At CalBike, we’re excited about this federal bill. Although it’s not as progressive as the E-Bike Affordability Program that CalBike is sponsoring in California, it will still have a considerable impact.

What does the federal E-BIKE Act do?

The E-BIKE Act creates a credit against your federal taxes of up to $1,500 per taxpayer. The credit can go toward purchasing one new e-bike with a price tag of $8,000 or less. A Class 1, 2, or 3 e-bike purchase qualifies for the credit.

This tax credit is an essential step toward recognizing e-bikes as a crucial green transportation option.

How is CalBike’s $10M e-bike campaign different from the E-BIKE Act?

CalBike’s campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program [link] will provide purchase incentives rather than tax credits. This is a critical distinction because it will give Californians money to buy an e-bike at the time of purchase. Our program will help low-income residents with grants they can use for upfront costs. The E-BIKE Act requires you to come up with the total cost to buy an e-bike; you won’t get the tax credit until the following tax filing season.

The California program can provide $1,000 grants to 10,000 new e-bike riders if the legislature fully funds it. The funding and the number of people who benefit will be capped until the legislature allocates additional money (which we hope they will, once they see the success of the initial program).

The E-BIKE Act tax credits, on the other hand, don’t have a spending cap. They will be available to as many taxpayers across the US as want to use them. Plus, Californians who don’t qualify for or aren’t able to get funding from the state program will still have a helping hand from the federal tax credit.

Two bills are better than one

CalBike will be working hard to pass our AB 117 and fully fund the California program. We will also support our national allies as they advocate to keep the E-BIKE Act strong.

With both programs in place, Californians may be able to combine a state purchase incentive with a federal tax credit to take up to $2,500 off the price of a new e-bike. That will make e-bikes a more affordable transportation option for many more Californians.

The E-BIKE Act is a promising sign of a new attitude about active transportation in D.C. We look forward to more progressive action to mitigate climate change, provide more transportation options, and improve communities.

Sign CalBike’s petition for a $10M E-Bike Affordability Program in California

E-Bike Research Shows Environmental and Economic Benefits

March 18, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

Electric bicycle advocate and climate scientist Tom Lent recently published new e-bike research about the greenhouse gas emissions reduction benefits. Not surprisingly, he found that e-bikes are great for the environment and inexpensive to operate.

Key findings of the E-Bike 1000 MPG Project:

E-bikes are 10 to 30 times more efficient than electric cars at fighting climate change.
E-bikes get 30 to 100 times more miles per pound of battery than an electric car. Battery efficiency is essential because the resources used to make lithium batteries may be in short supply as more car manufacturers switch to electric.
An e-bike emits 40 to 140 times fewer pounds of greenhouse gases than a 30 mpg gas car, assuming it is charged with California’s electric energy mix.
E-bikes are incredibly cost-effective. Most bikes cost less than a penny per mile to charge.

This e-bike research supports what we already knew: e-bikes are one of the most economical and environmental forms of transportation. In 2021, CalBike’s $10 million e-bike affordability campaign is crucial to help more Californians choose this green transportation mode.

Lent’s research is a project of the Climate Action Center. He has compiled e-bike research from dozens of sources and has a breakdown of stats by e-bike model.

Already own an e-bike and want to find out how efficient yours is? Get bragging rights about your bike’s high efficiency by joining the citizen science E-Bike Monitoring Project.

#ebikestories Episode 4: E-Bikes Flatten Hills

March 17, 2021/by Laura McCamy

California has lots of hills; they are part of the landscape that makes our state so beautiful. When CalBike asked you to share e-bike stories to support our campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program, many of you told us how your e-bikes flatten hills, so you can ride on terrain that might have been too challenging on a manual bike. Here are four inspiring stories of how e-bikes flatten hills.

Kate Blumberg, Portrero Hill, San Francisco

I live at the top of Potrero Hill. I was riding my bike to work for years but I often dreaded coming home and I never left the house on bike unless it was going to be a long ride or a full day. I never got burritos or groceries on bike, mostly going without or driving.

When my son was born I realized that I just couldn’t bike him up the hill—the added weight was too much for me, and I started looking into e-bikes.

Riding home on my first e-bike I remember thinking, everyone in San Francisco should have one of these! I still, 10 years later, bike my son to school and aikido class. And I now also bike to the farmer’s market, grocery store, pizzeria, burrito shop, the best sushi restaurant and everything in between. I pretty much never get in the car unless my destination involves a highway (hiking, surfing and camping all mostly require the car). I definitely use the car less, and I’m happier. And my son is too (he also hates the car).

[I replace car trips with my e-bike] all the time – 25 miles a week or so. That’s lots of trips. The rest of the trips, if I didn’t have an e-bike I would take transit or walk.

Wesley Reutimann, Pasadena

Our household became a one-vehicle household in the suburbs of Los Angeles County about a decade ago, and purchased our first e-cargo bike after starting a family in 2015. In addition to saving on vehicle insurance, registration, maintenance, etc., the change has been a wonderful opportunity to explore southern California with our children on two wheels in a comfortable and safe manner. It’s also made visits to grandparents who live on the top of steep hill manageable with children on a bike. And e-cargo bikes are awesome at making cycling more comfortable on hot days in the inland valleys.

Pre-pandemic the average [on our e-bikes, replacing car trips] was 60-80 miles a week. We use the e-cargo bike to drop the kids off at school, run errands, do shopping around town, and go to local parks and trails.

Helena Worthen, North Berkeley Hills

After I got knee replacements four years ago followed by ablation surgery for A-fib (I am now 77), it was clear that it was time to get an electric bike.

On my first ride, from near Bay sea-level up to the edge of Tilden Park above Berkeley, the steepest hills turned into gentle rollers and all the pain just went away.

With saddlebags, I do all my shopping and anything else that happens between Richmond and downtown Oakland. I don’t try to be an athlete, I just use the full e-assist and enjoy it. Even just in the last four years, routes around the East Bay have gotten more and more marked and protected, making it more relaxing to ride.

I’d guess I ride 15 miles a week – not a lot, really but it’s all my grocery shopping, banking, and library trips. It’s not cardio but at least I’m moving around, so it has to be good.

Eventually, in order to travel out past the 40-mile battery range, we did buy a car, but we had at least three years of living car-free. Our car basically sits in front of the house unless it’s cold, raining hard and I really have to go somewhere. Currently, our car has only gone 2000 miles this last year, and most of that was one trip to LA.

Paola, Carmel

I have lived in Carmel Valley since 1965. I have been involved in county transportation issues at varying times since 1989 and am currently on the Carmel Valley Road Committee as spokesperson for bicyclists needs. I started riding to school in Monterey when I was fourteen. I have always ridden to do errands and for pleasure.

I researched e-bikes for a good fifteen years. In 2017, electric bikes had evolved sufficiently in range that I purchased one. At that time I was 56 years old, so I was tired of riding against the wind and dealing with the steep hills solely under my own power. While I do still need to use my car for certain things, I ride as often as possible.

Now, I have logged almost 8,000 miles doing errands locally since I purchased the bike. It is the way to go!

Monica de la Cruz, San Diego

My e-bike has made a world of difference, especially through the darkness and difficulties of the pandemic. I lost a very close friend and a family member in the fall of 2020, and between the immense grief and the isolation of working from home, I was really struggling. Regular bike rides became my method for coping. It’s still a difficult time, and I will not minimize mental health issues, but the rides afford me space to breathe, explore the city, feel wind and sunlight on my skin, take screen breaks, process, and feel a little lighter. Through this last year, that space has been essential. Nothing could convince me to trade my e-bike rides for a car commute.

Previously, the multi-legged transit ride to the office was too long to be a sustainable commute, and the length and incline were personally too challenging on a traditional bike, so I usually drove or worked from home.

My e-bike has cut out half of the transit trip so now I can work from the office on a routine basis, which has improved my work schedule. Thanks to my e-bike, I can live car-free, do just about any errand, and enjoy my city (even the hills). I ride about 30 miles a week on my e-bike.

Do you have a story about how e-bikes flatten hills in your neighborhood? Or commuting, running errands, riding with kids, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Tweet your e-bike story @CalBike or share it with us on Facebook using the hashtag #ebikestories.

Do you believe everyone deserves to be able to purchase an e-bike? Support CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike afforadbility program. Sign our petition.

I Support the $10M E-Bike Affordability Program

It’s Time for California to Legalize the Safety Stop

March 9, 2021/by Jared Sanchez

UPDATE: The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill has passed the legislature and is on the governor’s desk. Please take a minute to tell Governor Newsom to sign AB 122.

bikes should be able to treat stop signs as yields

CalBike is sponsoring the Safety Stop Bill (AB 122), which will legalize the safety stop for bicyclists. This commonsense law is an essential first step in recognizing that bike riders use the road differently from car drivers, and we need to adjust our traffic rules accordingly.

Here’s why all road users should support this vital legislation.

What is the safety stop?

You might know the safety stop by its more common name: the Idaho stop. The Idaho stop refers to a traffic law passed in Idaho way back in 1982. Since then, many other states have adopted versions of this law.

California’s Safety Stop Bill would make it legal for bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields. If other traffic is already at the intersection or a pedestrian is crossing, bike riders must yield the right-of-way. However, if the intersection is clear, people riding bikes (including e-bikes) can ride through without stopping.

4 reasons California needs a safety stop law

Critics may say that the safety stop will give permission for more bad behavior by already lawless bike riders. Putting aside the “Get off my lawn!” attitude that many car drivers have toward bicyclists of all stripes, here are four reasons why the safety stop will actually make our streets safer.

Improve safety for bike riders

Studies show that places that make it legal for bikes to yield rather than stop at stop signs have fewer bike crashes after the law goes into effect. No study has shown an increase in hazards at stop signs. Letting people on bikes treat stop signs as yield signs is worth doing for safety alone.

Legalize commonsense behavior and increase respect for the law and cyclists

As someone on a bike approaches a stop sign, they have 360-degree visibility and are traveling slowly. They yield to others as appropriate and proceed through when it’s their turn. Almost nobody comes to a complete stop. A universally disobeyed law engenders disrespect for the law among cyclists and disrespect of cyclists among motorists. Changing the law to one that can be strictly obeyed will remove confusion at intersections, as motorists can expect cyclists to always yield and wait until it’s their turn, understanding that bikes don’t have to stop.

Remove a pretext for inequitable traffic enforcement

Data shows that Black people across California are most likely to be stopped and cited by law enforcement for vehicle code infractions, including when riding a bike. This new law will improve equity among California residents while protecting our most vulnerable road users from a long history of over-policing and traumatic criminalization.

Traffic enforcement officers will still be able to ticket bike riders who don’t yield at a stop sign or endanger others. But they will no longer be able to harass Black and brown cyclists on the pretext that they ran a stop sign.

Bring California in line with neighboring western states

The states of Oregon and Washington have already adopted safety stop laws. Idaho started this movement and its law remains in effect. Similar laws were recently passed in Colorado and Utah. By embracing this commonsense rule for bicyclists, California will join its neighbors in choosing this best practice for bike riding and traffic policing. Our state is known for its active transportation leadership; the Safety Stop Bill will keep us from falling behind.

What you can do to help pass the Safety Stop Bill

The Safety Stop Bill AB 122, will get its first hearing in the Assembly Transportation Committee March 22. If your representative is one of the committee members, please contact them and ask them to support it.

When the bill reaches the full Assembly, we’ll need all the help we can get to pass it. Join CalBike’s mailing list to keep up with the latest. And donate to help CalBike expand its advocacy for bike-forward legislation like the Safety Stop Bill.

#ebikestories Episode 3: Commuting by E-Bike

March 9, 2021/by Laura McCamy

Commuting by e-bike is a breeze: the miles and the hills melt away and you arrive without breaking a sweat. When CalBike asked you to share e-bike stories to support our campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program, many of you told us how much you love your e-bike commutes. Here are four inspiring stories of e-bike commuting.

Erin Shannon aka Queenie, Bay Area

I was encouraged to invest in an eBike in late 2018. A Dear Friend and co-conspirator modified my bike to accommodate errand running and commutes with panniers and a basket. This eBike has substantially changed my life for the better.

The pedal-assist makes it easy breezy to go up hills, and roads that normally I would not have even tried are tackled with only a little effort. I recommend them to anyone who asks about it. I think everyone needs one! I was very out of shape and didn’t think I would ever find an exercise option that I loved doing, but this is it. I lost 35lbs with the initial 12-mile a day commute and I actually get a bit depressed if I am unable to get out and ride regularly.

I use my bike for commuting to and from work, weather and transit permitting. And for my grocery runs, most items will fit on that bike! I went from being super inactive and sitting hours in my car every day and hating it so much to the freedom of riding my bike easily to and from the ferry and BART and back. It was a total game-changer. Once I started riding my eBike I never looked back. I ride to commute to and from work and run errands, including some big grocery runs on the bike.

I never thought I could do this, I thought it was ridiculous to think I could ride a bike regularly, but with the pedal-assist on my eBike and all the extra custom features my friend added, this is a luxury commute/errand running bike and I would not trade it for the world. It is great for my mind and body.

I think you can safely say I am in a committed relationship with my eBike.

Jean Severinghaus, San Rafael

I rode my regular bike weekly from San Rafael to meetings in Berkeley and took my bike on the bus across the RSR Bridge. Great ride. That bus only goes hourly so I’d often wait up to an hour each way for the bus depending on my schedule.

However, when the RSR Bridge bike pathway opened, I could take my e-bike round trip without the bus time lag. So e-biking cut out the bus delay and even though it was a longer pedal, my days became much less time-consuming.

Peggy Arnest, Fresno

I used to live about 9 miles from work and would commute on my bike twice a week to work in downtown Fresno. However, we moved and my commute is now over 13 miles. It was just too far. I tried it a couple times, but it was exhausting and if the temperature was much over 90 degrees, which happens often in Fresno, I felt like I had a heatstroke by the time I got home. I purchased an electric bike and was back to commuting twice a week. I absolutely love it! I can vary the power to get the exercise I want or kick it up to high power when it is close to 100 degrees without getting too overheated. I used to not ride if it was too windy, but with the electric bike, you can barely tell there’s wind. :D

Jim Hilton

Igave my Subaru away and bought an e-bike just over a year ago. I ride 6.5 miles each way to work in the next town over. I’m lucky to have a trail a block from my home that leads me over the river, through the dairy land, to our business/industrial zone. I have rain gear and waterproof panniers and can ride right through winter (coastal living).

No car payments, insurance, oil changes. Better view of the world, mental health, and respect of my peers. Extra cash improves retirement prospects, about 5 years out. 25-minute commute vs. 12 in the car.

Do you have a story about commuting by e-bike? Or running errands, riding with kids, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Fill out this form or tweet your e-bike love @CalBike using the hashtag #ebikestories – or both!

Do you believe everyone deserves to be able to purchase an e-bike? Support CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike afforadbility program. Sign our petition.

I Support the $10M E-Bike Affordability Program

#ebikestories Episode 2: Cycling for All Ages and Abilities

March 4, 2021/by Laura McCamy

An electric bike can help us keep up with the pack as we age and ride with injuries or disabilities. CalBike is sponsoring a $10M e-bike affordability program to help more Californians get on e-bikes. E-bikes facilitate cycling for all ages and abilities.

Here are four stories of the ways that e-bikes have helped seniors and people with heath issues keep riding.

Tom Willging, Oakland

In December I turned 80 and for a present, I bought myself an e-bike. I don’t need its power assist to climb up the Oakland Hills. I’ve been climbing them once or twice a week since I moved to the Bay Area more than 10 years ago. I need the assist because in those last ten years my climbing pace has slowed to the point that I’m the last rider up the hills in my cycling club, the Oakland VeloRaptors.

Despite completing all five passes in the Sierra of the Death Ride in 2012, I’m no longer the 72-year-old spring chicken I was then. My riding group is mostly in their 60s and 70s and I find myself following their flashing red lights going up Oakland’s Old Tunnel Road on Sunday mornings.

For me, an e-bike is a great equalizer, extending my cycling in a way that I can continue to stop with my friends at the bakeries we frequent on the other side of the hills.

Shelley Reed

After my first knee replacements, no matter how I worked my quads, it was still painful to ride up even a gentle incline on my manual bike.

Before going on a month’s trip in an RV, planning to ride at many stops, I invested in [an e-bike] (24 gears and five battery settings, built for places like SF).

I make sure I’m always working, by setting the battery to the lowest setting and using most of the gears. The benefit is that the help the battery gives when I start up or go up a hill allows me to ride comfortably just about anywhere. I also maintain a speed at least a couple of miles faster than I could on my manual bike, and more than that when I’m riding into the wind.

I’ll never look back. Having had second replacements of my knees, plus other joints, I know I’d never be able to ride if I hadn’t bought the electric bike. With it, I’m still on the road at 75 and will be for years to come.

Jay Cobb, San Lorenzo

An e-bike is such a game-changer especially with someone like myself in their mid-60s that’s had a stroke and has multiple medical conditions and even eyesight issues. It’s so much fun to be on a bike that helps and just pushes you along when you need it. It keeps you engaged excited and energized like the battery on the bike since an e-bike and I have been riding together for almost 10 years it’s simple.

An e-bike is basically a Prius for your legs if you think about it. A Prius has an electric motor, it has a battery, and it has a regular motor. On an e-bike, you’re the motor, but like a Prius, the bike knows when to help you and when to save energy to get the longest ride possible. Most e-bikes made by major companies like Raleigh Trek specialized and so on can be found even locally where I live in the Bay Area for a little bit more than 1,000 to $1500. It gives you up to a 40-mile ride that is so nice and so natural that you need no training or experience to ride.

[The electric assist] helps you enjoy the ride even more and that’s what a bike is all about, no matter what your physical condition, no matter what your age. The e-bike helps you overcome anything you thought was an obstacle with ease.

The e-bike has helped me realize that I may be disabled but an e-bike re-ables me to think about life and my surroundings always in a positive way.

Always stay positive, always be moving forward, always make sure you’re having fun – that’s what an e-bike is all about. You’re always engaged and energized afterward; what a perfect machine even for the COVID…. still in the saddle.

Jane Raga, MD; Nevada City

The most important thing my e-bike has allowed me to do at 62 is to continue riding with my younger friends. Now I’m not a boat anchor–especially on the climbs–and I can hang with them for the distance and not be too painfully stiff to walk for three days after. I think this social benefit will become ever more important with age.

The benefits e-bikes can offer for mental health and staying connected with one’s community are every bit as important as the physical health benefits.

Do you have a story about how e-bikes allows cycling for all ages and abilities? Or commuting, running errands, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Fill out this form or tweet your e-bike love @CalBike using the hashtag #ebikestories – or both!

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