World E-Bike News: Boston, Montreal, California & Guangzhou
A US mayor has announced free cycling lessons for children aged four to 13 to help them stay active and connected in their communities.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, along with Boston Parks and Recreation, Boston Centers for Youth & Families, and the Office of Early Childhood, announced investments in child bikes and bike instruction to help make Boston the US’s best city to raise a family.
“Biking is more than just a fun way to stay active, it’s a great way to get around and a crucial life skill – one that all of our young people deserve the opportunity to develop,” Mayor Michelle Wu said.
The lessons will be provided at 15 sites around the city.
More Cycleways for Montreal
Canada’s City of Montreal has announced it will build and upgrade 53 new bike routes to add another 59km of facilities to the bike-friendly city.
The $34 million boost includes new off-road paths and one- and two-way bike lanes.
The program is part of the city’s four-year Vision Velo, which will run until 2027 and aims to add 200km of bike lanes.
The city has also converted 10 commercial arteries into pedestrian-only streets for the northern hemisphere summer, as part of a three-year, $12 million municipal program to lure pedestrian shoppers to commercial areas.
More than 8.3km of city streets are closed to traffic during the Montreal summer and, in some cases, into the early weeks of Autumn.
California Considers E-Bike Ban for Kids
California’s government is considering a bill that would prohibit children under 12 from riding e-bikes in public spaces and introduce other controls on their use.
The bill, passing through California legislature, would require an online written test, an e-bike training program and state-issued identification for riders who do not have a driver’s license, according to local television news service Fox 5.
Guangzhou Investigates Tougher E-Bike Controls
A public hearing was held in Chinese megacity Guangzhou last month to look at imposing greater restrictions on e-bikes.
Politicians, public transport staff, lawyers and industry experts were among officials at the hearing to consider what new restrictions should be implemented and on what roads.
In a city with 3.6 million registered e-bike owners, the forum was told just over half the population supported tightened controls, but they just outnumbered resident who opposed escalated restrictions.
While Guangzhou has increased regulations on e-bikes in recent years, they were eased in June to only enforce them on some roads and during some times in central parts of the city.