Top 5 Reasons to Get an E-Bike Today

If you’ve been dreaming about getting an e-bike, but have been unsure about how much you will use it, now may be the right time to try one out.  Fuel prices, fitness, busy streets, limited parking and micro-mobility are all good reasons to add an e-bike to your shopping list.

1. Fuel Prices

Recent increases in gas prices may be enough of a reason to get rolling. Though even without increased gas prices, replacing your car commute with an e-bike commute can save you a substantial amount of money every year.   According to AAA, California average fuel price per gallon is 65% higher than the national average.  And according to a South Bay Cities Council of Governments study, when residents in the South Bay are running their errands, 70% of vehicle trips are 3 miles or less, while 88% are 10 miles or less.

2. Micro-Mobility

The South Bay Cities Council of Governments has completed a plan for a proposed Local Travel Network, a safe network of routes to accommodate a growing market of personal zero-emission slow-speed vehicles.

The plan, funded by a Caltrans sustainability grant, examines the feasibility of more widespread adoption of a transportation concept known as micromobility, which refers to a range of lightweight vehicles operating at speeds below 25 mph. These include neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), which appear similar to golf carts, e-scooters, e-bikes, electric skateboards and other personal transportation devices.

The Council, which includes Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and El Segundo, has announced a proposed Local Travel Network, a system of slow-speed streets safely connecting neighborhoods and destinations much friendlier for e-bikes. Starting in 2023, roads with speed limits of 25 miles-per-hour will have new lanes painted on them to more safely integrate Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, including e-bikes, into street traffic. They also direct e-bikers to less busy roads while still allowing them to cross traffic-lighted intersections by warning gas-powered drivers of the e-bikes’ presence. If safety was a concern about e-bikes, these new lanes, set to be completed by 2024, will minimize those fears. According to the Local Travel Network storymap, the proposed plan will make e-biking easier than ever before by following five focal points:

1. Establish safe routes for smaller vehicles.

2. Connect neighborhoods with destinations

3. Separate local traffic from through traffic

4. Expand access to bike lanes to all forms of micromobility

5. Promote micromobility in our communities

Travel Network Map

The network of e-bike lanes will be robust, connecting neighborhoods to destinations such as stores, restaurants, schools, and parks. The lanes will also avoid any areas near truck routes and highway ramps. There may even be an app developed to help e-bikers plan their route through these new lanes before they set off.

So many factors are pointing in the direction of getting an e-bike now. Rising gas prices mean it makes economic sense, the electric bike technology continues to improve, and the Local Travel Network by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments will help make micromobility more accessible. In just a couple years’ time you’ll be able to avoid the traffic, stay safe, and go where you need to go on your e-bike.