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Prepare for an e-bike boom this fall as the city sets an incentive program in motion.
Raleigh really wants you to give battery-powered biking a go. This fall, the city will roll out a pilot program dubbed Ral-E-Bike that incentivizes the purchase of electric bicycles (aka e-bikes). The goal? To encourage more residents to adopt this innovative form of transportation in their day-to-day lives.
“There are some other cities that have already done this; I think the most prominent example is Denver,” City Council member Jonathan Melton says of the program, which is funded through a federal grant. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to replicate in Raleigh for a long time.”
It’s no secret electric rides—including e-bikes—have exploded in popularity recently, a trend that’s proving to be a game-changer for urban transit. The Department of Energy estimates e-bikes can replace most car trips, given that 75% of U.S. car trips are less than 10 miles.
“We know e-bikes are better for the environment,” explains Melton. “We know if we can give folks options it’s going to reduce traffic so the people who want to drive cars or need to drive cars have a more enjoyable experience… and it also increases equity and mobility for people who can’t afford a car or don’t want to have a car.”
Through the program, Raleighites 18 and older can apply for $500 vouchers to use toward e-bike purchases from participating retailers; those with lower incomes can qualify for $1,500 vouchers. The initial pilot will allow for 75 income-qualified vouchers and 75 standard vouchers to be made available, and recipients will be asked to participate in regular surveys about their e-bike use.
“I’m hoping this pilot is a great success [and] we can use some of the information we gather to implement a long-term permanent program,” Melton shares. “Overall, I just want to see a mode shift in Raleigh. I think we’re very car-dependent right now, [but] we have a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon.” E-bike to the future? Count us in. raleighnc.gov
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Trying to get a electric bike