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CalBike Scores Wins in Sacramento for Californians Who Bike and Walk 

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California’s legislative session has ended with several big accomplishments for active transportation. CalBike’s signature E-Bike Affordability Program is fully funded and in development. And the two other bills we sponsored this year have passed the Assembly and the Senate, which have placed a spotlight on the need to decriminalize the bicycle safety stop and jaywalking. 

In 2021, California became the first state to offer e-bike subsidies. And the legislature passed bills to decriminalize safe biking and walking.

We don’t know if Governor Newsom will sign our outstanding bills (we hope he does), but we want to take a moment to savor the forward momentum for people who bike and walk in California.

More affordable e-bikes

Bicycle advocacy in Sacramento can be frustrating. Trying to explain the joy and efficiency of getting around by bike to people who only see the world through the windshield of an automobile is sometimes a steep uphill pedal. Fortunately, this year, the California legislature showed that it understands the value of e-bikes to fight climate change.

Kids on e-bike

Electric cars get most of the attention and funding as a solution for climate change, even though electric bikes are the greenest transportation options. Electric bikes are accessible and healthful transport for people who aren’t physically able to ride a standard bike, carry heavy loads or passengers, or need to ride farther and faster than a traditional bike can take them. Plus, e-bikes have been shown to replace car trips, so they provide excellent low-carbon transport. 

But e-bikes are much more expensive than classic bikes, so they often aren’t accessible to the people who need them most. CalBike has been working for the past several years on programs to make e-bikes more affordable. SB 400 (Umberg), passed in 2019, added electric bikes to the Clean Cars 4 All program. However, the rollout was hampered by the pandemic. And, while the program offers generous incentives, only people with a qualifying car to surrender could participate. We knew we needed to do more to help Californians get on e-bikes.

So we rolled out an ambitious campaign to get $10 million for e-bike subsidies through the budget process and AB 117 (Boerner Horvath). The legislature and the governor have agreed to a $10 million budget for e-bike purchase incentives. The program will launch by July 1, 2022. CalBike is working with the California Air Resources Board to develop its guidelines. 

Our goal is to help get e-bikes into the hands of approximately 10,000 Californians who would benefit the most from electric bikes. That includes people who need utility bikes, bikes for carrying children, folding bikes, and bikes for people with disabilities. We are working hard to support a multi-faceted program that will meet the needs of these Californians and more. Sign up to find out when e-bike grants are available.

Common sense wins: the legislature endorses the Bicycle Safety Stop 

The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill (AB 122, Boerner Horvath) will make it legal for people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields. Riders will legally do what most of us already do: slow down when approaching a stop sign and stop, if needed, to let other traffic and pedestrians cross. If the intersection is clear, bike riders can pedal through without stopping.

Idaho, Delaware, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Arkansas, Utah, Oklahoma, and North Dakota have already made this commonsense bicycle maneuver legal. This year, the legislature signaled that it’s time for California to join the movement for sensible bike laws. That’s thanks in no small part to the many of you who emailed your representatives in support of AB 122.

We hope this will be the year California passes the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill, but we have not heard from the governor that he’ll sign it. Please contact Governor Newsom and tell him to sign AB 122.

California poised to be a leader by legalizing safe street crossings

As a recent LAist article noted, everyone jaywalks. Jaywalking is an invented offense, put on the books a century ago to clear the streets for early (and very unsafe) car drivers. The new “crime” was designed to shift the blame in a crash from a negligent driver to the person walking.

jaywalking Legalize Safe Street Crossings

CalBike’s Freedom to Walk Act (AB 1238, Ting) would make California one of the first states to reclaim the right of pedestrians to cross the street safely, repealing century-old jaywalking laws that made such crossings technically illegal. It will still be illegal to run out into traffic, but safe mid-block crossings would no longer be crimes. Virginia and Nevada have already enacted limited jaywalking decriminalization measures this year.

CalBike co-sponsored this bill with our partners California Walks, LA Walks, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. Our streets can’t truly be safe until everyone is safe. The Freedom to Walk Act recognizes that street safety requires better infrastructure plus freedom from dangerous police encounters that too often end badly for BIPOC folks.

Getting this bill through the legislature was a hard-won victory. Legislators and law enforcement groups raised safety concerns, especially since pedestrian fatalities have been rising in recent years. However, our current jaywalking laws have done nothing to protect pedestrians. Decriminalizing jaywalking will free lawmakers and police to address the true causes of traffic violence (hint: it’s the people inside the two-ton machines, not the people outside them). 

Jaywalking laws let reckless drivers off the hook for killing and injuring pedestrians and give police a pretext to harass Black Californians, who are cited at a rate as much as five times higher than white people—even though everybody jaywalks. 

We are grateful that lawmakers understood the importance of legalizing safe street crossings and ending outdated and unjust laws. Their action is the first step in making California streets safe for all of us.

Governor Newsom can make California a leader in stepping boldly into that future by signing the Freedom to Walk Act. California will be the first state in the nation to repeal unjust jaywalking laws, which could be the start of an overdue trend. AB 1238 has already added to a growing national discussion about the need to decriminalize jaywalking.

We hear that the governor is under pressure to veto this critical bill. If he hears from enough constituents who support it, that could help him get to yes. Tell Governor Newsom to legalize safe street crossings.

More wins and losses for people who bike, active transportation, and climate-friendly communities

California’s legislative session ended on September 10. It was a mixed year for the other transportation and climate bills CalBike supported or was following. Some excellent legislation didn’t make it, but some visionary measures passed both houses. Read our full recap.

Victory! $10 Million E-Bike Affordability Program Included in State Budget

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Update, 7/14/21: Governor Newsom signed the budget, ensuring that CalBike’s $10 million e-bike affordability program will be funded! CalBike is continuing to work with legislators and program administrators to make sure the program is implemented equitably. 

For Immediate Release: 7/2/21

SACRAMENTO – CalBike is thrilled to announce that legislators approved a $10 million e-bike incentive program in next year’s state budget. Funded as part of the state’s campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, the program will help thousands of Californians get access to e-bikes to replace car trips. Bikes eligible will include bikes “designed for people with disabilities; utility bicycles for carrying equipment or passengers, including children; and folding bicycles.”

CalBike Executive Director Dave Snyder said, “E-Bikes are a great climate investment not just because they don’t emit carbon dioxide, but because thousands of people will learn how safe and fun it can be to replace short car trips with bike trips.”

CalBike, joined by more than 80 allied organizations across the state, submitted a letter of support for Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath’s request for a budget allocation to implement the proposed e-bike incentive program. 

“Making e-bikes more affordable is one of the most effective ways to get Californians out of their cars and reduce emissions,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “I’m thrilled that the full funding I requested for purchase incentives, education, and training is included in the budget we approved. This program represents a priority shift in the right direction and, once implemented, will help folks from all backgrounds choose a healthier, happier way to get around.”

“E-bikes are a key alternative to the automobile for short trips and everyday errands,” said Assemblymember Richard Bloom. “Advanced technology and broad availability are making E-bikes more accessible every day. This funding will provide an incentive that will reduce both traffic congestion and pollution. I am elated that I could play a part in making clean e-bikes more accessible to every Californian.”

The budget language includes:

Electric Bicycle Incentives Project, no later than July 1, 2022, to provide financial incentives for purchasing electric bicycles. Up to 10 percent of the total funding for this purpose is available to support related programs such as safety education programs. Electric bicycles eligible for the incentives include, but are not limited to, those designed for people with disabilities; utility bicycles for carrying equipment or passengers, including children; and folding bicycles.

In the 2023–24 fiscal year, the board shall report to the Legislature on the progress and outcomes of this program, including: (A) the number of rebates awarded, (B) the location of sales for which rebates were awarded, and (C) the estimated climate impact of the program, including estimated greenhouse gases abated.

“E-bikes can be the centerpiece of California’s strategy to replace gas-powered car trips to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while also advancing equity, promoting public health, reducing traffic, and helping working families save money,” said Dave Snyder, executive director of CalBike. “Until now, California has focused its efforts on electric cars. This new program breaks that funding dam and begins investing in a technology that is a known carbon crusher, E-bikes. E-bikes are the cleanest EV.” 

Californians use their cars mostly for short trips, 60% of all trips are six miles or less. Electric bicycles can easily replace those trips. Electric bicycle users take children to school, haul hundreds of pounds of equipment or groceries, and travel long distances  and over steep hills, without breaking a sweat.

But electric bicycles are not nearly as widespread as they should be because they are  expensive. Safe electric bikes of respectable durability cost from $2,000 to $5,000 depending on your need.

The Electric Bicycle Incentives Project incentive will enable the switch, simultaneously serving California’s VMT reduction goals and improving the economic security of the recipient. California families burdened with the costs of car ownership can save money by owning an electric bike.

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

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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

#ebikestories Episode 4: E-Bikes Flatten Hills

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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.

Kate Blumberg

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

Wesley Reutimann and family

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

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

Monica delaCruz

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

#ebikestories Episode 3: Commuting by E-Bike

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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.  

Erin-Shannon-1

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

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

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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!

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 1: Riding E-Bikes with Kids

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CalBike asked you to share your e-bike stories to support our campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program to enable more Californians to discover the joy and freedom that e-bikes bring. The stories you sent us were inspiring and delightful. Your e-bike experiences show the many ways that e-bikes can replace car trips and enhance people’s quality of life.

Here are three inspiring stories from parents who have found joy riding e-bikes with kids.

Emily Dondero, Murphys

I have always ridden a bike, a mountain bike, a road bike, and now a Pedego Cargo Baby Blue E-Bike. Like the children’s book, Pete the Cat and his Blue Shoes…I love my Blue Cargo E-Bike!

Kids on e-bike

An added benefit to riding with my babies is teaching my girls about bike safety and riding. We practice listening, watching, safe bike riding skills, and encouraging bike riding in my community.

Riding an e-bike means more to me than just good health or exercise. I’m doing my part to promote a green planet.

Darren Huckle, Santa Cruz

My e-bike has been an incredible experience. I initially bought and installed a kit on I bike I already owned so I could more quickly do a 5-mile commute with my preschooler to his school. Four days a week for two years I rode two 10-mile round trips, so roughly 80 miles a week. My son and I had so much fun and bonding on those bike rides. We would stop at parks on the way home. It was an incredible quality of life boost for my physical and mental health to be exercising so regularly. I would barely have ridden him without the help of an e-bike. I was able to do the drop-off and pick-up trips without being overly sweaty, and almost as fast as if I had driven.

Ashley Lorden, Alameda

We wanted to use a bike to replace all our car trips within the beautiful and flat island where we live, Alameda, CA. My partner and I used to bike alone to commute or run errands, but anytime we needed to bring the kids, dog, groceries, or lots of stuff, we had to get in the car. We knew we could do better for these short and flat trips, but the alternative had to accommodate as much and be as easy to use, as a car.

Ashley Lorden riding e-bikes with kids
Photo courtesy of Ashley Lorden

We had our eye on the Bunch Bike for a while but the $4k price tag is a commitment. Finally, 6 months ago, we purchased our family electric cargo bike (I call it “the minivan of bikes”!). It has been awesome! We bring our 2 kids to school, go to the park as a family, even pick up takeout or shopping. We still have our car but use it rarely, only for longer trips outside of our city. The Bunch is a joy to ride together, and the electric assist means we can better match car speeds on “shared-use” streets, where on a traditional bike it was scarier to frequently have cars speed around me when pulling the kids.

I’m so glad we took the leap to an electric cargo bike as our family vehicle. I hope we can create incentives and programs to help more people make the switch to low-footprint transportation.

Do you have a story about riding e-bikes with kids? 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!

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

4 Ways to Get Financial Help to Buy an E-Bike

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As more people turn to bikes for transportation, e-bikes have gained in popularity. They give riders greater range and carrying capacity. For many, an e-bike is a workable alternative to car ownership. But e-bikes aren’t cheap. CalBike is making financial help to buy an e-bike a top priority in 2021.

Find out more about CalBike’s e-bike campaign
Sign our e-bike rebate petition

Here are four ways we believe Californians should be able to get financial help to buy an e-bike.

Live in a county that gives residents financial help to buy an e-bike

A few California counties have e-bike rebate or purchase incentive programs. Unfortunately, most don’t and many of the rebates are too small to make e-bikes truly affordable. Here are the county programs we know about. Let us know if we missed one.

  • Sonoma County: The utility agency, Sonoma Clean Power, provides discounts of up to $1,000 for qualified customers.
  • Contra Costa County: $150 – $300 rebates on e-bike purchases, allocated to different cities in Contra Costa County.
  • San Diego County: Pedal Ahead is a loan-to-own program with up to 400 e-bikes available to residents of Supervisorial District 4. It appears that all the bikes in this program may have been spoken for already.
  • San Diego: This program is not technically a county rebate. It’s a purchase incentive through BikeSD and Electric Bike Central that gives e-bike purchasers rebates when they buy an e-bike and ride a certain number of miles.
  • Humboldt County: The funds allocated to Redwood Coast Energy’s e-bike rebate program have all been reserved. But check their website in case this e-bike rebate is renewed.

Trade in a polluting car for an e-bike rebate under SB 400

In 2019, CalBike sponsored SB 400, which added e-bike rebates to an existing state program. The program gives low-income residents vouchers in exchange for trading in a polluting vehicle. SB 400 expanded the program to include bike-share memberships and e-bike rebates.

The program is implemented by California’s regional air quality management districts. Low-income residents get a credit of up to $7,500 to put toward clean mobility options, including purchasing an e-bike, when they turn in a polluting car. Program participants can use the funds to buy multiple e-bikes for their family or split the funds between clean mobility transit modes.

Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed implementation in 2020. As of this writing, only one district, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, has implemented the program, as required by SB 400. CalBike has heard that one additional AQMD has plans to make the e-bike vouchers available in the near future. That will make two out of California’s 35 air control districts. Call your local air quality management district and ask them to implement this essential program right away.

Get financial help to buy an e-bike from the federal government – oh, wait

If you bought an electric car in 2020, you qualified for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. Unfortunately, the feds don’t have a comparable program or any program to help Americans buy electric bikes. 

We are hopeful that the new Congress will provide financial support for Americans seeking to buy e-bikes. CalBike, with our national allies, will push for federal e-bike rebates, so more people can afford this very green transportation option. At a minimum, Congress should reinstitute the monthly pre-tax subsidy that employers can provide to their (electric or regular) bike commuting employees. Join our list to get the latest news on federal financial help to buy an e-bike.

Join CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike purchase incentive program in California 

Assembly Member Tasha Boerner Horvath has introduced AB 117, a bill that will create a $10 million fund for e-bike purchase incentives.

View AB 117 Fact Sheet — Download fact sheet

Please join CalBike in supporting this vital legislation. 

Sign the petition. Tell legislators that it’s time for the state to help Californians join the e-bike revolution.

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A Preview of the CalBike 2021 Agenda

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Update: Attend our Agenda Announcement and Campaign Kickoff Party on December 10. 

Oh, 2020. It’s been a hard year for too many. We extend our sympathies to everyone who is suffering from loss. 

Looking ahead to 2021, we here at CalBike have reasons to be optimistic. Among the silver linings of this tough year is that many people have turned to bicycling during the pandemic. Our demands for safer streets will be buoyed by a larger constituency.
Another silver lining is that our light legislative agenda this year gives us more time to plan for an ambitious 2021. We’re excited about the opportunity to make meaningful change for health, safety, community, equity, prosperity, and climate.
Here’s a preview of what we’re thinking.

CalBike 2021 Agenda

CalBike’s plans for 2021 are still developing, but we have five initiatives already in the works. 

  • E-bike purchase incentives. Our e-bike rebate bill, which would allow people to get a voucher to buy an e-bike, was one of the casualties of the pandemic in 2020. We’ll bring it back better than ever in 2021. Electric bikes have been proven to be the best option for replacing car trips. They have surged in popularity this year. However, the price tag for an e-bike puts one out of reach for many Californians. We believe an e-bike purchase incentive program is the most effective way to make energy-efficient transportation available to everyone. 
  • Micromobility. Shared bikes and scooters should be integrated with public transit and accessible to all. We want cities to take ownership of their shared mobility systems so users aren’t subject to the whims and price increases of a private company. This will also ensure that micromobility options are available in neighborhoods that have been historically underserved by transit.
  • Complete Streets at Caltrans. Despite the pandemic, CalBike was able to work with Caltrans to greatly improve its Complete Streets policies in 2020. The agency increased funding for biking and walking improvements and made positive changes to bring the needs of people who aren’t in cars into their planning processes. However, there is still more work to be done to change decades of car-centric planning at Caltrans. In 2021, CalBike will redouble our efforts to transform Caltrans-controlled local streets into Complete Streets.
  • Rewriting the street design rulebook. Two manuals hold sway over local planning decisions about street design in California: the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the Highway Design Manual (HDM). If you’ve ever been at a planning meeting in your city and watched an innovative bike facility get rejected, the MUTCD and HDM may have been to blame. Planners are often reluctant to approve roadway designs that aren’t in them. CalBike is working with state administrators to revise these manuals to include designs for safer streets for people on bikes. These changes could turn a no into a yes the next time your local bicycle coalition lobbies for a new protected bike lane or protected intersection. 
  • Equitable traffic enforcement. CalBike is committed to doing our part to change state laws about traffic enforcement to reduce the risk of police violence for Black and Brown people. The measures we are considering include:
    • Automated speed monitoring and ticketing.
    • Changing the Vision Zero grant process to money doesn’t go pay for more police traffic stops and instead goes to measures that will be more effective at reducing traffic injuries and fatalities.
    • Decriminalizing walking and biking. This includes legalizing mid-block crossings (jaywalking) and the Idaho stop (which would allow bikes to treat stop signs as yields).
    • Reforming Office of Traffic Safety grants so they don’t support police stings of bike riders running stop signs on quiet, low-traffic residential streets.

Finishing 2020 strong.

CalBike has two important initiatives that we’re still working on that we believe will make a big difference for bikeable communities.

Quick-build

CalBike has partnered with Alta Planning to produce the Quick-Build Toolkit. Quick-build is a revolutionary philosophy that streamlines the roadway design process. This puts the bike lanes and other safety features we need on our streets in months rather than years. Our design manual (coming very soon) will give planners across California the tools they need to quickly implement bike projects as we emerge from the pandemic and confront the climate crisis.

Election 2020

Many of us are, understandably, laser-focused on the presidential election this year. However, as we know from firsthand experience fighting for bills in unfriendly committees in the State legislature, the people we choose to represent us in our state and local government play a bigger role in shaping how bike-friendly our communities are.

We have endorsed candidates in several races that we believe will be crucial to achieving our ambitious goals for 2021. Please check out our endorsements and support bike-friendly candidates.

Ride your bike + Raise money for CalBike = Fun!

The California Dream Ride is one of CalBike’s biggest annual fundraisers. This year, the Dream Ride Challenge is a self-guided 300-mile ride to wherever you choose. Ride all 300 miles in the saddle, or earn miles and get rewards for taking on fun, bike-related activities and daily pop-up challenges along the way. 

As a Dream Rider, you’ll join a fabulous bicycling community online to share the joy of riding in a brand new way. We’ve got perks and prizes, tips and tricks, an awesome support team, Happy Hours with special guests like mountain biking pioneer Gary Fisher, and so much more.

Best of all, the Dream Ride Challenge is a great way to raise money to support CalBike’s work in 2021 and beyond. You can register for as little as $25 and raise money as you ride. We hope you’ll join us from October 3-11 for this fun event.

We hope that 2021 is better than 2020!

No one can argue with the fact that 2020 has been crazy. For a lot of people, it has been a simply terrible year. Our heart goes out to anyone who’s dealing with  COVID-19 or who lost a loved one, everyone who lost a job or had to risk their health to keep a job, everyone on the West Coast dealing with fires and smoke. In addition, while racist violence and oppression started long before 2020, the burdens of our inequitable society have supersized this year’s many tragedies for Californians of color.

Here’s to a better year in 2021.

E-Bikes Deserve the Same Rebates as Electric Cars

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When you buy an electric car in California, you get help from the state. Purchases of all-electric automobiles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids are eligible for a rebate of up to $7,000. If instead, you’d like to buy what is arguably the most climate friendly practical form of transit – an electric bike – you are on your own. In 2020, we hope to change that. One of CalBike’s top agenda items is to push for a rebate program for people who purchase electric bikes, because people deserve support for biking.

The case against electric cars

Are EVs better for the environment than cars that run on gasoline? Absolutely. They don’t spew carbon dioxide or harmful toxins in their exhaust. They use energy from the electrical grid which gets about a third of its power from renewable sources and a little more than half from sources that don’t emit carbon. That’s definitely an improvement, but it’s clear that even if every Californian traded in their gas guzzler for a zero emissions car today, it would not be enough to solve our climate crisis. Besides, EVs still cause dangerous pollution, from tire and brake particulate; they create congestion, cause traffic deaths, and take up precious space in our crowded cities.

And crucially, most of the fleet is a fantasy in the short term. Sales of electric cars in California rose by more than 60% between 2017 and 2018, but they still accounted for less than 8% of all new cars sold in the state. An even smaller fraction of existing cars are electric. Californians drive approximately 35,700,000 cars; about 35,300,000 of them are not zero-emission electric vehicles. It will be a long time before a substantial number of them are electric.

Experts agree, the only way to really tackle the environmental crisis caused by cars is to reduce the use of cars. We drove ourselves into this crisis; we can’t drive ourselves out of it.

Time is running out to address the climate crisis

There are several good ways to reduce the number of miles that people travel in solo vehicles. Near the top of the list is improved public transit, transit-oriented development in walkable neighborhoods, and, of course, bicycling. While new transit services and housing construction will take years to complete, the fastest and best way to get people out of their cars is the bicycle. It’s important to move fast: as the most recent IPCC report showed, we don’t have that long.

The case for electric bikes

Bicycles are a near-perfect form of transportation. They give riders physical exercise, take up little space on the street or for parking, and they are always zero emissions. But not everyone is willing or able to get around town by bike. Barriers include physical ability, feeling too vulnerable on the road, limited range, not wanting to arrive at work sweaty, and the need to transport kids/groceries/stuff.

The e-bike is a solution to all or most of these problems. The extra power extends the range of bike trips while making riders safer. Electric cargo bikes are ideal for family transportation. In fact, studies have shown that people with access to e-bikes use them to replace car trips about 50% of the time.

However, price is a significant barrier to e-bike adoption. Electric bikes often cost over $2,000 and cargo bikes can cost even more. While the price is a fraction of the cost of buying a car, it is still a barrier for many Californians.

A rebate program for e-bike purchases would cost a fraction of the EV program. And, unlike the car-centric program, an e-bike rebate would be a significant step toward climate progress for California.

The budget process

Any e-bike rebate program will be funded through the California budget process, which runs from January through June. Here’s a rundown on this year’s budget and the prospects for e-bike rebates.

On January 10, Governor Newsom released a $222B proposed budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The budget plan includes the allocation from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which includes incentives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As the budget takes shape, CalBike will lobby hard to get a bicycle purchase incentive program included in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund expenditures. We don’t expect this to be easy. We’ll need your support to get e-bike rebates into the 2020 budget. You can start by signing our e-bike rebate petition, to send a message to legislators that e-bikes deserve rebates, too.

The rest of the budget is critical, too. Transportation gets $18B including almost $9B for the California Department of Transportation. There is also $220M in funding for the Active Transportation Program (ATP). The ATP is the state’s only pot of funds dedicated to biking and walking. The ATP funding level is about the same as last year.

The next step is for the legislature to hold hearings on the budget before passing a budget bill. State agencies and departments will submit recommendations for adjustments to the Department of Finance. Newsom will consider these recommendations along with the latest data from the Department of Finance and produce a revised budget in May. The legislature must approve a budget for the governor’s signature by midnight on June 15.

During the budget process, CalBike will advocate for maximum public engagement and a minimum expansion of road capacity. California’s priorities must be to maintain what we have, make the streets safer, and, above all, reduce vehicle miles traveled.

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