#ebikestories Episode 5: Running Errands on an E-Bike
One of the main things that people use their cars for is running errands. Most of those trips are short enough to take by bike. When you add an electric boost, the remaining barriers melt away. When CalBike asked you to share e-bike stories to support our campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program, many of you told us how much you love running errands on an e-bike. Here are a few of those stories.
Eli Akira Kaufman, Los Angeles
In December, we welcomed a new member to our family [pictured in the featured image] and determined to expose our baby to the joy, health benefits, self-reliance, and sustainability of bicycling invested in an e-cargo bike. Of all the baby gear we’ve gotten, our e-bike is hands down the most essential to our health and happiness as a growing family.
We use our e-bike daily to get outside exercise, run errands around the neighborhood (especially trading baby items with our local https://buynothingproject.org/ group), and to stay connected with the people and places we love. We are replacing an average of 20 dreadful car miles with glorious bike miles per week and Gia is only eight weeks old!
Meghan Sahli-Wells (& Karim Sahli), Culver City
My husband and I bought e-bikes and consequently got rid of our car (we still have a minivan for work and camping). I had long been a bike commuter, but my husband had not. Our e-bikes have allowed us to go further, faster & have replaced all but a very small number of trips. We’ve been working from home, so our trips are mostly short ones to the grocery store, hardware store, doctor, etc. We’re saving money on insurance and gas, while boosting our health & the health of the planet.
It’s been transformational!
Sasha Kinney, Sacramento
I LOVE my e-bike. I use it in place of my car. Grocery trips, friends’ houses, bike rides for the hell of it all happen on my e-bike. I love the speed of it (20 mph), that I can coast, pedal or not pedal, and carry lots of stuff (I have a front basket, back rack, and a trailer if I need it). I am always recommending that family members and friends buy an e-bike for commuting.
I also use my e-bike for Mercy Pedalers, a non-profit that delivers goods to people experiencing homelessness. (photo attached). And I use it to go to the grocery store, which is a couple of miles from my house. I ride my bike about 10 miles a week.
Peter Spirer, Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles
My e-bike arrived in October. Since then I’ve ridden over 350 miles. I travel for light groceries food pickups and errands around town. I’ve cut the use of my car down to only a few days a week. One of the benefits of having an e-bike is that I’ve spent a third of what I used to on gas. I like to bike before but could not go down the hill and come up easily which the e-bike has made easy. I’ve replaced many of my trips with my e-bike. More people should be traveling by e-bike.
Maureen Persico, San Francisco
My car was destroyed by an uninsured driver. Decided to take a risk and put insurance money toward a top e-bike. I live in a city with lots of hills so I needed a dependable bike with a strong motor. My spouse agreed if I promised we’d buy a car later. Well, we’ve never looked back.
Been car-free for 10 years now. I get more exercise, and while people my age slowly gain weight I’ve been able to maintain my weight and health thanks to using a bicycle as my main method of transportation.
Buying my e-bike was a major step on a life transformation. I created a program with a non-profit where I packed and delivered by e-bike donated art supplies to schools and museums throughout San Francisco. I connected with bicycle and car-free activists on Twitter and we advocate and politically support bicycle infrastructure in the City.
I co-created People Protected (@PeopleProtected), which calls bicycle infrastructure advocates together to stand on the painted bike lane line to protect bicyclists from car traffic. It’s an idea that has spread to eight countries. I was honored by the San Francisco Bike Coalition and The New Wheel bike shop for this work. I’ve created #We Are Fragile art installations which I place on Slow Streets. All this because I bought an e-bike and ditched my car.
Do you have a story about running errands on an e-bike? Or riding on steep terrain, riding with age, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Tweet your e-bike story @CalBike or share it with us on Facebook using the hashtag #ebikestories.
