With the use of electric bikes growing every year all around the world, In London new questions and debates are arising not over the bikes themselves, but surrounding the mentality towards cycling on our roads and the infrastructure to support them, which many believe is lacking far behind other cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen where ebikes have become a fully accepted mode of transport.
Ebikes Are The Perfect City Transport
Often people are stuck between choosing a car or their bike for their commute to work. Electric bikes can provide you with the best of worlds, giving you the freedom, fuel saving and potential exercise that comes with cycling, but with the ability to use added power to get you where you’re going quickly and easily with minimal effort if you don’t fancy cycling your own Tour De France stage twice every day.
It is this balance of being free from the traffic jams and expensive petrol prices along with the choice of using very little effort if you wish, that is the driving force behind the rise of the ebike, particularly for travelling to and from work. But although ebikes have now evolved into highly innovative pieces of kit with better frames, motors and batteries, the attitudes of drivers hasn’t changed.
As Harry Eyres, a writer from the Financial Times says, “it seems most drivers regard bicycles as a nuisance and treat cyclists with a shocking and sometimes murderous lack of consideration.” He believes that “the virtues of the bicycle need to be accommodated within an integrated transport system and accompanied by public acceptance of the right of two-wheeled traffic to occupy the carriageway.”
And this problem is only getting bigger, as the deaths and serious injuries among cyclists in London and across Britain keeps growing. Annual deaths in the past 10 years in London have consistently sat between 8 and 20, with 14 fatal incidents in 2012. There were 657 serious injuries in 2012 compared with 394 in 2002, showing that London’s roads are not being given the consideration required to prevent these accidents.
The ideal solution is for motorists to completely change their attitude towards cyclists on the road through better education while learning to drive, but this will never happen overnight. The most effective way is to improve the infrastructure of the current transport system by adding and improving cycle lanes all around the city so that cyclists can take a route they know they will be safe. These considerations have already happened in other cities around the world, so it’s about time London caught up.
High Quality Ebikes At The Electric Bike Store
Are you looking to buy an electric bike? The Electric Bike Store offers a wide selection of ebikes and accessories for unbeatable prices. We understand that it can be tricky to choose the right electric bike for you, which is why we welcome you to try any of our bikes at our traffic-free test sites in London and throughout the UK.
If you would like to find out more about electric bikes or arrange a test ride, then contact us by filling in our online contact form, or speak to one of our experts on 020 7378 4728 who will be happy to answer any of your questions.
Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/150f4fa6-ee09-11e2-816e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2Za9Cr31I