A quarter of car journeys could be made by electric bike

Massive adoption of electric bicycles could reduce the number of car trips by a quarter, shows a new study from the Mobility Chair of Polytechnique Montréal and Équiterre. The authors speak of “enormous potential” to be developed to remove barriers to cycling and reduce the use of cars.

A thousand testers

Carried out over the last three years, this vast study was conducted with 1,000 participants who used electrically assisted bicycles (VAE) equipped with geographic trackers for the majority of their daily trips. “We calculated the average distances traveled by coupling that with data from the latest origin-destination (OD) surveys. And the result is that one in four car trips, or 25%, could be replaced by the VAE,” says the deputy director of educational programs at Équiterre, Marilène Bergeron. She points out that 75% of Quebecers live less than 14 kilometers from their workplace, but travel there regularly by car. “There is enormous potential there. »

Faster, further

How are electric bikes a game changer? In fact, these devices mainly allow you to extend the effective range of a bicycle. As a general rule, an e-bike is on average 21% faster than a traditional bicycle; the distances that can be covered are between 9% and 22% greater. “On similar routes, electric assistance reduces travel time by 16% on hilly terrain and 29% on flat terrain compared to traditional cycling,” the report also reads. On average, Équiterre also calculates that an electric bicycle emits 780 times less greenhouse gas (GHG) than a gasoline car, and 25 times less than an electric vehicle.

More infrastructure

According to Catherine Morency, holder of the Mobility Chair at Polytechnique Montréal, the study illustrates the need to “build more infrastructure” for parking and charging for electric bikes, which are often heavier and more expensive to acquire. “Fears of theft are an issue and we must take them into account to convince people to use them on a daily basis. The reality is that the infrastructures are not currently there to allow a real transition,” analyzes the researcher. She affirms that the VAE would have the effect of “democratizing the use of the bicycle” quickly, by boosting public transport ridership in the process. “If we think about our networks based on journeys, everyone will benefit. »

Incentives to consider

Équiterre, for its part, suggests that public authorities – especially the government of Quebec – consider awarding a subsidy for the replacement of a combustion vehicle with an electric bicycle, by means of a “fee system”. -discount “. “It could also be a subsidy for long-term rental, or even the electric conversion of a standard bicycle. There are several ways to modulate it,” notes M^me Bergeron on this subject. Employers, she adds, also have a role to play. “Interest is high for bicycle rental and office equipment programs, or even mileage reimbursement. Large companies need to think about it,” she adds.

The example of Saanich

In British Columbia, the municipality of Saanich, located in the Victoria region, has implemented purchase rebate programs ranging from $350 to $1,600 on electric bikes in recent years, depending on the situation. socio-economic status of each person. And since then, the first results have been convincing. A recent study from the University of British Columbia found that electric bike adoption has literally exploded. Not only did 60% of program beneficiaries take up daily cycling, but above all, they reduced their car travel by 48 kilometers on average each week, the equivalent of a reduction of 30 to 40%.