On your bikes for work | thearticle

The Government has unveiled its plan to boost uptake of electric bikes. It didn’t make many headlines when Boris Johnson presented his ten-point plan for the UK’s “green recovery” but this

is the kind of policy which will make a big difference to many people’s lives. Following the eventual legalisation of electric scooters, electric bikes are a logical next step. The bikes

travel at speeds of up to 15.5 miles per hour but they currently cost more than £600. Some of the more advanced models can cost as much as £2000. So a government-funded subsidy scheme to

give sustainability-inclined commuters a leg-up makes a lot of sense. There is clear demand for an accessible, environmentally-friendly alternative to electric cars. Electric bikes are a

fantastic innovation. They bring many of the benefits of cars – speed and ease of travel – into the cycle lane. Long distances and steep hills are no longer such a burden for non-driving

commuters. They make cycling accessible to workers of all ages, no matter their physical fitness. A subsidy scheme for electric bikes is long overdue. Government grants are already available

for electric cars, vans, lorries, taxis and even motorbikes, but only now are electric bicycles finally getting a look in. The idea of subsidising greener forms of transport in order to

nudge people into transitioning away from fume-belching diesel cars from the 1990s is nothing new. But in itself, it is not enough. If the government is serious about making electric bikes

an integral part of the UK’s transport network, systemic change is needed to encourage people to use them. Even with subsidies, they will remain more costly than their traditional,

motor-free counterparts. Perhaps more importantly, cycle lanes are already overcrowded. In order to accommodate an influx of new cycle users, those lanes will have to be expanded, especially

in high-concentration areas like central London. That would have the added benefit of easing the traffic strain on other road users and making our air much cleaner. There is also the issue

of charging. Electric bikes do not emit greenhouse gases directly in the same way internal combustion engines do, but if their electricity comes from power stations running on fossil fuels,

many of the benefits of their promotion effectively become null and void. Subsidising electric bikes is one small cog in a much larger machine. In order to promote sustainability in a

meaningful way, these kinds of small policies need to be accompanied by a widespread shift away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy sources. Hopefully, given the government’s recent

positive signals on nuclear energy, this is an attainable goal. The outcome of all this might be a lessened reliance on the road network altogether. If the government really does ban the

sale of all new petrol and diesel cars in just a decade’s time, the way we approach private transportation will have to shift dramatically and quickly. But whatever happens, greater access

to electric bikes in the short term seems like a very good thing indeed. A MESSAGE FROM THEARTICLE _We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important

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