However, questions remain: Are new cycling habits sustainable? Who benefits most from these incentives? And are they worth the cost? Researchers now have some answers.
Researchers at UBC's Research on Active Transportation Lab have some answers. They surveyed participants in an e-bike incentive program offered by the District of Saanich, B.C. and found that most new e-bike users continued to regularly use their bikes as a substitute for car travel, even a year after purchase. Low-income households reduced their car trips and decreased carbon emissions the most. And incentives are a cost-effective way of reducing carbon emissions.
"The incentive not only encouraged people to switch to e-bikes, it also resulted in remarkable changes in travel behaviour that persisted long after the purchase," said Dr. Alex Bigazzi, principal investigator and associate professor of civil engineering at UBC who leads REACT. "This suggests that e-bike incentives are more cost-effective in reducing emissions compared to electric car incentives, and that's without including a range of cycling-related benefits such as increased physical activity, reduced local air pollutants and decreased travel costs," Dr. Bigazzi said.