Board members of Sustrans, the charity dedicated to safer travelling on foot, bike or public transport, recently experienced cycling in London’s commuter traffic in the saddle of an electric bike for the first time.
The Electric Bike Company (EBC Ltd) took a range of e-bikes along to the October Sustrans board meeting to demonstrate the benefits of e-bikes as a transport choice.
Sustrans’ vision is for ‘4 out of 5 local journeys to be made by bike, foot or public transport by 2020.’ To facilitate that aim, the charity set up the National Cycle Network in 1995, now a network of safer cycling routes spanning 14,700 miles, utilising either traffic-free lanes or quieter roads.
Since the only way to evaluate an e-bike is to try it, 20 Sustrans members subsequently left the boardroom meeting in favour of trialling various EBC electric bikes on London’s roads. Their verdict was 100% positive, with one quoting the experience as “phenomenally impressive”.
Sustrans London Director, German Dector-Vega, also commented: “Electric bikes give even the most experienced rider more confidence in traffic. I believe that it is not so much a question of will e-bikes become more popular in the UK it’s more a question of when.”
Fellow director, Nigel Gibbons, added: “I must have been riding bikes with the brakes on before today, I have definitely seen the cycling future!”
EBC’s Paul Stanforth explained why it was important to show the Sustrans board members what electric bikes bring to cycling in the UK: “We were really keen to show the senior team all the benefits of e-bikes and it’s great to have such a positive response. As a lifestyle and transport choice, e-bikes offer a great solution for many people and they are a great way of exploring The National Cycle Network both in and out of the City.
“The Sustrans National Cycle Network has provided a way into cycling for many people – as do e-bikes – and with the development of the electric bike both from a technology and ethos perspective, we have seen more core enthusiasts using them”.
He summed up: “With the cost of fuel continuing to rise and electric bikes becoming lighter, more practical, better performing, aesthetically more pleasing, less expensive…and not least of all, cooler; we see the e-bike as an answer to many health, transport and lifestyle questions. Have a go, they’re a great deal of fun!”
