Tag Archive for: featured

E-BIKE Act Will Create Vital Tax Credit for E-Bikes

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On February 11, 2021, California Representative Jimmy Panetta introduced the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act (E-BIKE Act). The bill is now making its way (slowly) through the committee process in the House. 

At CalBike, we’re excited about this federal bill. Although it’s not as progressive as the E-Bike Affordability Program that CalBike is sponsoring in California, it will still have a considerable impact.

What does the federal E-BIKE Act do? 

The E-BIKE Act creates a credit against your federal taxes of up to $1,500 per taxpayer. The credit can go toward purchasing one new e-bike with a price tag of $8,000 or less. A Class 1, 2, or 3 e-bike purchase qualifies for the credit.

This tax credit is an essential step toward recognizing e-bikes as a crucial green transportation option. 

How is CalBike’s $10M e-bike campaign different from the E-BIKE Act? 

CalBike’s campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program [link] will provide purchase incentives rather than tax credits. This is a critical distinction because it will give Californians money to buy an e-bike at the time of purchase. Our program will help low-income residents with grants they can use for upfront costs. The E-BIKE Act requires you to come up with the total cost to buy an e-bike; you won’t get the tax credit until the following tax filing season.

The California program can provide $1,000 grants to 10,000 new e-bike riders if the legislature fully funds it. The funding and the number of people who benefit will be capped until the legislature allocates additional money (which we hope they will, once they see the success of the initial program). 

The E-BIKE Act tax credits, on the other hand, don’t have a spending cap. They will be available to as many taxpayers across the US as want to use them. Plus, Californians who don’t qualify for or aren’t able to get funding from the state program will still have a helping hand from the federal tax credit.

Two bills are better than one

CalBike will be working hard to pass our AB 117 and fully fund the California program. We will also support our national allies as they advocate to keep the E-BIKE Act strong. 

With both programs in place, Californians may be able to combine a state purchase incentive with a federal tax credit to take up to $2,500 off the price of a new e-bike. That will make e-bikes a more affordable transportation option for many more Californians.

The E-BIKE Act is a promising sign of a new attitude about active transportation in D.C. We look forward to more progressive action to mitigate climate change, provide more transportation options, and improve communities. 

Sign CalBike’s petition for a $10M E-Bike Affordability Program in California

E-Bike Research Shows Environmental and Economic Benefits

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Electric bicycle advocate and climate scientist Tom Lent recently published new e-bike research about the greenhouse gas emissions reduction benefits. Not surprisingly, he found that e-bikes are great for the environment and inexpensive to operate.

Key findings of the E-Bike 1000 MPG Project:

  • E-bikes are 10 to 30 times more efficient than electric cars at fighting climate change.
  • E-bikes get 30 to 100 times more miles per pound of battery than an electric car. Battery efficiency is essential because the resources used to make lithium batteries may be in short supply as more car manufacturers switch to electric.
  • An e-bike emits 40 to 140 times fewer pounds of greenhouse gases than a 30 mpg gas car, assuming it is charged with California’s electric energy mix.
  • E-bikes are incredibly cost-effective. Most bikes cost less than a penny per mile to charge.

This e-bike research supports what we already knew: e-bikes are one of the most economical and environmental forms of transportation. In 2021, CalBike’s $10 million e-bike affordability campaign is crucial to help more Californians choose this green transportation mode.

Lent’s research is a project of the Climate Action Center. He has compiled e-bike research from dozens of sources and has a breakdown of stats by e-bike model.

Already own an e-bike and want to find out how efficient yours is?  Get bragging rights about your bike’s high efficiency by joining the citizen science E-Bike Monitoring Project.

#ebikestories Episode 4: E-Bikes Flatten Hills

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California has lots of hills; they are part of the landscape that makes our state so beautiful. 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 your e-bikes flatten hills, so you can ride on terrain that might have been too challenging on a manual bike. Here are four inspiring stories of how e-bikes flatten hills.

Kate Blumberg, Portrero Hill, San Francisco

I live at the top of Potrero Hill. I was riding my bike to work for years but I often dreaded coming home and I never left the house on bike unless it was going to be a long ride or a full day. I never got burritos or groceries on bike, mostly going without or driving.

Kate Blumberg

When my son was born I realized that I just couldn’t bike him up the hill—the added weight was too much for me, and I started looking into e-bikes.

Riding home on my first e-bike I remember thinking, everyone in San Francisco should have one of these! I still, 10 years later, bike my son to school and aikido class. And I now also bike to the farmer’s market, grocery store, pizzeria, burrito shop, the best sushi restaurant and everything in between. I pretty much never get in the car unless my destination involves a highway (hiking, surfing and camping all mostly require the car). I definitely use the car less, and I’m happier. And my son is too (he also hates the car).

[I replace car trips with my e-bike] all the time – 25 miles a week or so. That’s lots of trips. The rest of the trips, if I didn’t have an e-bike I would take transit or walk.

Wesley Reutimann, Pasadena

Wesley Reutimann and family

Our household became a one-vehicle household in the suburbs of Los Angeles County about a decade ago, and purchased our first e-cargo bike after starting a family in 2015. In addition to saving on vehicle insurance, registration, maintenance, etc., the change has been a wonderful opportunity to explore southern California with our children on two wheels in a comfortable and safe manner. It’s also made visits to grandparents who live on the top of steep hill manageable with children on a bike. And e-cargo bikes are awesome at making cycling more comfortable on hot days in the inland valleys.

Pre-pandemic the average [on our e-bikes, replacing car trips] was 60-80 miles a week. We use the e-cargo bike to drop the kids off at school, run errands, do shopping around town, and go to local parks and trails.

Helena Worthen, North Berkeley Hills

After I got knee replacements four years ago followed by ablation surgery for A-fib (I am now 77), it was clear that it was time to get an electric bike.

On my first ride, from near Bay sea-level up to the edge of Tilden Park above Berkeley, the steepest hills turned into gentle rollers and all the pain just went away.

With saddlebags, I do all my shopping and anything else that happens between Richmond and downtown Oakland. I don’t try to be an athlete, I just use the full e-assist and enjoy it. Even just in the last four years, routes around the East Bay have gotten more and more marked and protected, making it more relaxing to ride.

I’d guess I ride 15 miles a week – not a lot, really but it’s all my grocery shopping, banking, and library trips. It’s not cardio but at least I’m moving around, so it has to be good.

Eventually, in order to travel out past the 40-mile battery range, we did buy a car, but we had at least three years of living car-free. Our car basically sits in front of the house unless it’s cold, raining hard and I really have to go somewhere. Currently, our car has only gone 2000 miles this last year, and most of that was one trip to LA.

Paola, Carmel

Paola, Carmel

I have lived in Carmel Valley since 1965. I have been involved in county transportation issues at varying times since 1989 and am currently on the Carmel Valley Road Committee as  spokesperson for bicyclists needs. I started riding to school in Monterey when I was fourteen. I have always ridden to do errands and for pleasure. 

I researched e-bikes for a good fifteen years. In 2017, electric bikes had evolved sufficiently in range that I purchased one. At that time I was 56 years old, so I was tired of riding against the wind and dealing with the steep hills solely under my own power. While I do still need to use my car for certain things, I ride as often as possible.

Now, I have logged almost 8,000 miles doing errands locally since I purchased the bike. It is the way to go!

Monica de la Cruz, San Diego

Monica delaCruz

My e-bike has made a world of difference, especially through the darkness and difficulties of the pandemic. I lost a very close friend and a family member in the fall of 2020, and between the immense grief and the isolation of working from home, I was really struggling. Regular bike rides became my method for coping. It’s still a difficult time, and I will not minimize mental health issues, but the rides afford me space to breathe, explore the city, feel wind and sunlight on my skin, take screen breaks, process, and feel a little lighter. Through this last year, that space has been essential. Nothing could convince me to trade my e-bike rides for a car commute.

Previously, the multi-legged transit ride to the office was too long to be a sustainable commute, and the length and incline were personally too challenging on a traditional bike, so I usually drove or worked from home.

My e-bike has cut out half of the transit trip so now I can work from the office on a routine basis, which has improved my work schedule. Thanks to my e-bike, I can live car-free, do just about any errand, and enjoy my city (even the hills). I ride about 30 miles a week on my e-bike. 

Do you have a story about how e-bikes flatten hills in your neighborhood? Or commuting, running errands, riding with kids, 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.

Do you believe everyone deserves to be able to purchase an e-bike? Support CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike afforadbility program. Sign our petition.

I Support the $10M E-Bike Affordability Program

It’s Time for California to Legalize the Safety Stop

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UPDATE: The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill has passed the legislature and is on the governor’s desk. Please take a minute to tell Governor Newsom to sign AB 122.

bikes should be able to treat stop signs as yields

CalBike is sponsoring the Safety Stop Bill (AB 122), which will legalize the safety stop for bicyclists. This commonsense law is an essential first step in recognizing that bike riders use the road differently from car drivers, and we need to adjust our traffic rules accordingly. 

Here’s why all road users should support this vital legislation.

What is the safety stop?

You might know the safety stop by its more common name: the Idaho stop. The Idaho stop refers to a traffic law passed in Idaho way back in 1982. Since then, many other states have adopted versions of this law. 

California’s Safety Stop Bill would make it legal for bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields. If other traffic is already at the intersection or a pedestrian is crossing, bike riders must yield the right-of-way. However, if the intersection is clear, people riding bikes (including e-bikes) can ride through without stopping. 

4 reasons California needs a safety stop law

Critics may say that the safety stop will give permission for more bad behavior by already lawless bike riders. Putting aside the “Get off my lawn!” attitude that many car drivers have toward bicyclists of all stripes, here are four reasons why the safety stop will actually make our streets safer.

Improve safety for bike riders

Studies show that places that make it legal for bikes to yield rather than stop at stop signs have fewer bike crashes after the law goes into effect. No study has shown an increase in hazards at stop signs. Letting people on bikes treat stop signs as yield signs is worth doing for safety alone. 

Legalize commonsense behavior and increase respect for the law and cyclists

As someone on a bike approaches a stop sign, they have 360-degree visibility and are traveling slowly. They yield to others as appropriate and proceed through when it’s their turn. Almost nobody comes to a complete stop. A universally disobeyed law engenders disrespect for the law among cyclists and disrespect of cyclists among motorists. Changing the law to one that can be strictly obeyed will remove confusion at intersections, as motorists can expect cyclists to always yield and wait until it’s their turn, understanding that bikes don’t have to stop.

Remove a pretext for inequitable traffic enforcement

Data shows that Black people across California are most likely to be stopped and cited by law enforcement for vehicle code infractions, including when riding a bike. This new law will improve equity among California residents while protecting our most vulnerable road users from a long history of over-policing and traumatic criminalization.

Traffic enforcement officers will still be able to ticket bike riders who don’t yield at a stop sign or endanger others. But they will no longer be able to harass Black and brown cyclists on the pretext that they ran a stop sign.

Bring California in line with neighboring western states

The states of Oregon and Washington have already adopted safety stop laws. Idaho started this movement and its law remains in effect. Similar laws were recently passed in Colorado and Utah. By embracing this commonsense rule for bicyclists, California will join its neighbors in choosing this best practice for bike riding and traffic policing. Our state is known for its active transportation leadership; the Safety Stop Bill will keep us from falling behind.

What you can do to help pass the Safety Stop Bill

The Safety Stop Bill AB 122, will get its first hearing in the Assembly Transportation Committee March 22. If your representative is one of the committee members, please contact them and ask them to support it. 

When the bill reaches the full Assembly, we’ll need all the help we can get to pass it. Join CalBike’s mailing list to keep up with the latest. And donate to help CalBike expand its advocacy for bike-forward legislation like the Safety Stop Bill.

#ebikestories Episode 3: Commuting by E-Bike

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Commuting by e-bike is a breeze: the miles and the hills melt away and you arrive without breaking a sweat. 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 your e-bike commutes. Here are four inspiring stories of e-bike commuting.

Erin Shannon aka Queenie, Bay Area

I was encouraged to invest in an eBike in late 2018.  A Dear Friend and co-conspirator modified my bike to accommodate errand running and commutes with panniers and a basket.  This eBike has substantially changed my life for the better.  

Erin-Shannon-1

The pedal-assist makes it easy breezy to go up hills, and roads that normally I would not have even tried are tackled with only a little effort.  I recommend them to anyone who asks about it.  I think everyone needs one!  I was very out of shape and didn’t think I would ever find an exercise option that I loved doing, but this is it.  I lost 35lbs with the initial 12-mile a day commute and I actually get a bit depressed if I am unable to get out and ride regularly. 

I use my bike for commuting to and from work, weather and transit permitting.  And for my grocery runs, most items will fit on that bike!  I went from being super inactive and sitting hours in my car every day and hating it so much to the freedom of riding my bike easily to and from the ferry and BART and back.  It was a total game-changer.  Once I started riding my eBike I never looked back.  I ride to commute to and from work and run errands, including some big grocery runs on the bike.  

I never thought I could do this, I thought it was ridiculous to think I could ride a bike regularly, but with the pedal-assist on my eBike and all the extra custom features my friend added, this is a luxury commute/errand running bike and I would not trade it for the world.  It is great for my mind and body.

I think you can safely say I am in a committed relationship with my eBike.

Jean Severinghaus, San Rafael

I rode my regular bike weekly from San Rafael to meetings in Berkeley and took my bike on the bus across the RSR Bridge. Great ride. That bus only goes hourly so I’d often wait up to an hour each way for the bus depending on my schedule. 

However, when the RSR Bridge bike pathway opened, I could take my e-bike round trip without the bus time lag. So e-biking cut out the bus delay and even though it was a longer pedal, my days became much less time-consuming. 

Peggy Arnest, Fresno

I used to live about 9 miles from work and would commute on my bike twice a week to work in downtown Fresno.  However, we moved and my commute is now over 13 miles.  It was just too far.  I tried it a couple times, but it was exhausting and if the temperature was much over 90 degrees, which happens often in Fresno, I felt like I had a heatstroke by the time I got home.  I purchased an electric bike and was back to commuting twice a week.  I absolutely love it!  I can vary the power to get the exercise I want or kick it up to high power when it is close to 100 degrees without getting too overheated.  I used to not ride if it was too windy, but with the electric bike, you can barely tell there’s wind.  :D

Jim Hilton

Jim Hilton

Igave my Subaru away and bought an e-bike just over a year ago. I ride 6.5 miles each way to work in the next town over. I’m lucky to have a trail a block from my home that leads me over the river, through the dairy land, to our business/industrial zone. I have rain gear and waterproof panniers and can ride right through winter (coastal living).

No car payments, insurance, oil changes. Better view of the world, mental health, and respect of my peers. Extra cash improves retirement prospects, about 5 years out. 25-minute commute vs. 12 in the car. 

Do you have a story about commuting by e-bike? Or running errands, riding with kids, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Fill out this form or tweet your e-bike love @CalBike using the hashtag #ebikestories – or both!

Do you believe everyone deserves to be able to purchase an e-bike? Support CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike afforadbility program. Sign our petition.

I Support the $10M E-Bike Affordability Program

#ebikestories Episode 2: Cycling for All Ages and Abilities

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An electric bike can help us keep up with the pack as we age and ride with injuries or disabilities. CalBike is sponsoring a $10M e-bike affordability program to help more Californians get on e-bikes. E-bikes facilitate cycling for all ages and abilities.

Here are four stories of the ways that e-bikes have helped seniors and people with heath issues keep riding.

Tom Willging, Oakland

In December I turned 80 and for a present, I bought myself an e-bike. I don’t need its power assist to climb up the Oakland Hills. I’ve been climbing them once or twice a week since I moved to the Bay Area more than 10 years ago. I need the assist because in those last ten years my climbing pace has slowed to the point that I’m the last rider up the hills in my cycling club, the Oakland VeloRaptors. 

Despite completing all five passes in the Sierra of the Death Ride in 2012, I’m no longer the 72-year-old spring chicken I was then. My riding group is mostly in their 60s and 70s and I find myself following their flashing red lights going up Oakland’s Old Tunnel Road on Sunday mornings.

For me, an e-bike is a great equalizer, extending my cycling in a way that I can continue to stop with my friends at the bakeries we frequent on the other side of the hills.

Shelley Reed

After my first knee replacements, no matter how I worked my quads, it was still painful to ride up even a gentle incline on my manual bike.

Before going on a month’s trip in an RV, planning to ride at many stops, I invested in [an e-bike] (24 gears and five battery settings, built for places like SF).

I make sure I’m always working, by setting the battery to the lowest setting and using most of the gears. The benefit is that the help the battery gives when I start up or go up a hill allows me to ride comfortably just about anywhere. I also maintain a speed at least a couple of miles faster than I could on my manual bike, and more than that when I’m riding into the wind.

I’ll never look back. Having had second replacements of my knees, plus other joints, I know I’d never be able to ride if I hadn’t bought the electric bike. With it, I’m still on the road at 75 and will be for years to come.

Jay Cobb, San Lorenzo

An e-bike is such a game-changer especially with someone like myself in their mid-60s that’s had a stroke and has multiple medical conditions and even eyesight issues. It’s so much fun to be on a bike that helps and just pushes you along when you need it. It keeps you engaged excited and energized like the battery on the bike since an e-bike and I have been riding together for almost 10 years it’s simple.

An e-bike is basically a Prius for your legs if you think about it. A Prius has an electric motor, it has a battery, and it has a regular motor. On an e-bike, you’re the motor, but like a Prius, the bike knows when to help you and when to save energy to get the longest ride possible. Most e-bikes made by major companies like Raleigh Trek specialized and so on can be found even locally where I live in the Bay Area for a little bit more than 1,000 to $1500. It gives you up to a 40-mile ride that is so nice and so natural that you need no training or experience to ride.

[The electric assist] helps you enjoy the ride even more and that’s what a bike is all about, no matter what your physical condition, no matter what your age. The e-bike helps you overcome anything you thought was an obstacle with ease.

The e-bike has helped me realize that I may be disabled but an e-bike re-ables me to think about life and my surroundings always in a positive way.

Always stay positive, always be moving forward, always make sure you’re having fun – that’s what an e-bike is all about. You’re always engaged and energized afterward; what a perfect machine even for the COVID…. still in the saddle.

Jane Raga, MD; Nevada City

The most important thing my e-bike has allowed me to do at 62 is to continue riding with my younger friends. Now I’m not a boat anchor–especially on the climbs–and I can hang with them for the distance and not be too painfully stiff to walk for three days after. I think this social benefit will become ever more important with age.

The benefits e-bikes can offer for mental health and staying connected with one’s community are every bit as important as the physical health benefits.

Do you have a story about how e-bikes allows cycling for all ages and abilities? Or commuting, running errands, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Fill out this form or tweet your e-bike love @CalBike using the hashtag #ebikestories – or both!

Do you believe everyone deserves to be able to purchase an e-bike? Support CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike afforadbility program. Sign our petition.

I Support the $10M E-Bike Affordability Program

#ebikestories Episode 1: Riding E-Bikes with Kids

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CalBike asked you to share your e-bike stories to support our campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program to enable more Californians to discover the joy and freedom that e-bikes bring. The stories you sent us were inspiring and delightful. Your e-bike experiences show the many ways that e-bikes can replace car trips and enhance people’s quality of life.

Here are three inspiring stories from parents who have found joy riding e-bikes with kids.

Emily Dondero, Murphys

I have always ridden a bike, a mountain bike, a road bike, and now a Pedego Cargo Baby Blue E-Bike. Like the children’s book, Pete the Cat and his Blue Shoes…I love my Blue Cargo E-Bike!

Kids on e-bike

An added benefit to riding with my babies is teaching my girls about bike safety and riding. We practice listening, watching, safe bike riding skills, and encouraging bike riding in my community.

Riding an e-bike means more to me than just good health or exercise. I’m doing my part to promote a green planet.

Darren Huckle, Santa Cruz

My e-bike has been an incredible experience. I initially bought and installed a kit on I bike I already owned so I could more quickly do a 5-mile commute with my preschooler to his school. Four days a week for two years I rode two 10-mile round trips, so roughly 80 miles a week. My son and I had so much fun and bonding on those bike rides. We would stop at parks on the way home. It was an incredible quality of life boost for my physical and mental health to be exercising so regularly. I would barely have ridden him without the help of an e-bike. I was able to do the drop-off and pick-up trips without being overly sweaty, and almost as fast as if I had driven.

Ashley Lorden, Alameda

We wanted to use a bike to replace all our car trips within the beautiful and flat island where we live, Alameda, CA. My partner and I used to bike alone to commute or run errands, but anytime we needed to bring the kids, dog, groceries, or lots of stuff, we had to get in the car. We knew we could do better for these short and flat trips, but the alternative had to accommodate as much and be as easy to use, as a car.

Ashley Lorden riding e-bikes with kids
Photo courtesy of Ashley Lorden

We had our eye on the Bunch Bike for a while but the $4k price tag is a commitment. Finally, 6 months ago, we purchased our family electric cargo bike (I call it “the minivan of bikes”!). It has been awesome! We bring our 2 kids to school, go to the park as a family, even pick up takeout or shopping. We still have our car but use it rarely, only for longer trips outside of our city. The Bunch is a joy to ride together, and the electric assist means we can better match car speeds on “shared-use” streets, where on a traditional bike it was scarier to frequently have cars speed around me when pulling the kids.

I’m so glad we took the leap to an electric cargo bike as our family vehicle. I hope we can create incentives and programs to help more people make the switch to low-footprint transportation.

Do you have a story about riding e-bikes with kids? Or commuting, running errands, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Fill out this form or tweet your e-bike love @CalBike using the hashtag #ebikestories – or both!

Do you believe everyone deserves to be able to purchase an e-bike? Support CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike afforadbility program. Sign our petition.

I Support the $10M E-Bike Affordability Program

CalBike Demands Bay Bridge Bike Path

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Crossing the bay has always imposed an unfair burden on marginalized people. You have to have a car and pay the toll or take transit with a round trip cost even higher than the bridge toll. Today, the pandemic has made it even worse, with severe transit cuts stranding people on one side of the Bay if they have to travel late at night. 

The pandemic has also shown us the importance of bicycling as transportation, and the ability of our officials to make fast changes when necessary.

Now is the time to bridge the Bay. A new proposal shows how a Bay Bridge bikeway can be built in just a few months for about $10 million. That’s less than two days of BART’s budget. The path connects downtown Oakland and the East Bay to downtown San Francisco with a safe, healthy, 100% reliable, and free transportation option. On an e-bike, it’s even faster. Sign the petition to demand a bike path across San Francisco Bay.

Please join CalBike and our allies in telling our local transportation authorities to design and build this long-overdue bike connection, today. 

Show your support for a Bay Bridge bike path today.

Forest Barnes Moves from CalBike to SFMTA

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For the past two years, Forest Barnes has led CalBike’s work to bring better biking to the Central Valley. Funded by a Caltrans grant, the project team created a plan to make the planned High-Speed Rail (HSR) stations accessible to people walking and biking, drawing a three-mile radius around each station and proposing a network of great bike lanes and safe crossings to enable people to reach HSR. They also provided assistance to the City of Bakersfield to launch its first bike-share program. Forest has successfully wrapped up that project and is moving on from CalBike to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) as a regulated mobility planner.

Forest’s work while at CalBike will have a lasting impact. His team’s recommendations will vastly improve the safety and comfort of people in disadvantaged neighborhoods near the downtowns of Fresno, Bakersfield, and Merced. 

Importantly, the Central Valley Bikeways Project recommendations relied on a novel tool to analyze how a specific improvement affects the connectivity of destinations throughout the whole city. The tool shows how fixing an intersection at a key chokepoint might be more important to connectivity than a new path at the edge of the city. CalBike plans to promote this type of analysis for future active transportation funding decisions. It’s important for officials to build truly connected, low-stress networks instead of attractive but disconnected paths that don’t help bike riders reach key destinations such as work, school, or shopping.

The project also evaluates bicycle parking options at each of the stations, and proposes an exciting long-distance bicycle route, in conjunction with the construction of the new High-Speed Rail (HSR) stations. Once implemented, these plans will create a connected, low-stress network for residents to get to key destinations in Central Valley communities.

The final element of CalBike’s Central Valley Project, a bike-share system for Bakersfield, was held up by COVID but is currently being finalized. CalBike will continue to work with regional agencies, governmental bodies, and our allies at Bike Bakersfield to bring more safe, active mobility options to Central Valley communities.

Now, as the project comes to a successful close, Forest is moving on. He will join the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) as a regulated mobility planner. Forest will bring his expertise in urban mobility to the management of bike and scooter share systems in San Francisco.

Bringing connected bikeways to Central Valley communities

“I really appreciated getting to serve Bakersfield in particular, as well as the Central Valley,” Forest said. As a Bakersfield native, he was excited to use his active transportation planning skills in service of his hometown. The Central Valley Project also developed bike plans for Fresno and Merced, as well as a long-distance bike route. Forest’s proudest accomplishment, however, was the low-stress bike network plan for Bakersfield. The plan hasn’t been adopted yet, but he hopes it will open the door for a sizable investment in biking and walking in the Central Valley.

“Forest has been an indispensable part of our team, further connecting CalBike to the richness of the Central Valley and leading the expansion of safe biking in the region,” said Jared Sanchez, CalBike Senior Policy Advocate and another member of the Central Valley Project Team. “Forest’s personal connections to Bakersfield helped provide needed nuance to proposing low-stress connected bike networks to the city.“

Asked what he liked best about his time at CalBike, Forest said, “I absolutely appreciated the team most of all. I appreciated being at an advocacy organization.” He plans to stay connected and attend the next California Bicycle Summit. He added, “I feel extremely blessed to have found this job that combined so many of my interests.”

CalBike is excited to continue to work with Forest in his role at SFMTA.

4 Ways to Get Financial Help to Buy an E-Bike

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As more people turn to bikes for transportation, e-bikes have gained in popularity. They give riders greater range and carrying capacity. For many, an e-bike is a workable alternative to car ownership. But e-bikes aren’t cheap. CalBike is making financial help to buy an e-bike a top priority in 2021.

Find out more about CalBike’s e-bike campaign
Sign our e-bike rebate petition

Here are four ways we believe Californians should be able to get financial help to buy an e-bike.

Live in a county that gives residents financial help to buy an e-bike

A few California counties have e-bike rebate or purchase incentive programs. Unfortunately, most don’t and many of the rebates are too small to make e-bikes truly affordable. Here are the county programs we know about. Let us know if we missed one.

  • Sonoma County: The utility agency, Sonoma Clean Power, provides discounts of up to $1,000 for qualified customers.
  • Contra Costa County: $150 – $300 rebates on e-bike purchases, allocated to different cities in Contra Costa County.
  • San Diego County: Pedal Ahead is a loan-to-own program with up to 400 e-bikes available to residents of Supervisorial District 4. It appears that all the bikes in this program may have been spoken for already.
  • San Diego: This program is not technically a county rebate. It’s a purchase incentive through BikeSD and Electric Bike Central that gives e-bike purchasers rebates when they buy an e-bike and ride a certain number of miles.
  • Humboldt County: The funds allocated to Redwood Coast Energy’s e-bike rebate program have all been reserved. But check their website in case this e-bike rebate is renewed.

Trade in a polluting car for an e-bike rebate under SB 400

In 2019, CalBike sponsored SB 400, which added e-bike rebates to an existing state program. The program gives low-income residents vouchers in exchange for trading in a polluting vehicle. SB 400 expanded the program to include bike-share memberships and e-bike rebates.

The program is implemented by California’s regional air quality management districts. Low-income residents get a credit of up to $7,500 to put toward clean mobility options, including purchasing an e-bike, when they turn in a polluting car. Program participants can use the funds to buy multiple e-bikes for their family or split the funds between clean mobility transit modes.

Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed implementation in 2020. As of this writing, only one district, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, has implemented the program, as required by SB 400. CalBike has heard that one additional AQMD has plans to make the e-bike vouchers available in the near future. That will make two out of California’s 35 air control districts. Call your local air quality management district and ask them to implement this essential program right away.

Get financial help to buy an e-bike from the federal government – oh, wait

If you bought an electric car in 2020, you qualified for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. Unfortunately, the feds don’t have a comparable program or any program to help Americans buy electric bikes. 

We are hopeful that the new Congress will provide financial support for Americans seeking to buy e-bikes. CalBike, with our national allies, will push for federal e-bike rebates, so more people can afford this very green transportation option. At a minimum, Congress should reinstitute the monthly pre-tax subsidy that employers can provide to their (electric or regular) bike commuting employees. Join our list to get the latest news on federal financial help to buy an e-bike.

Join CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike purchase incentive program in California 

Assembly Member Tasha Boerner Horvath has introduced AB 117, a bill that will create a $10 million fund for e-bike purchase incentives.

View AB 117 Fact Sheet — Download fact sheet

Please join CalBike in supporting this vital legislation. 

Sign the petition. Tell legislators that it’s time for the state to help Californians join the e-bike revolution.

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