Victoria
Why Now is the Right Time for an E-bike Subsidy in Australia
By Dr Elliot Fishman* In May 2021 the Victorian government, in response to heavy criticism of their electric vehicle road user charge, announced a $3,000 subsidy for the purchase of an electric vehicle priced under $68,740. This week, NSW has followed up with its own $3,000 rebate and a stamp duty exemption. The ACT government…
A Tale of Two Cities
I’ve never actually lived in Melbourne. But over the past 31 years since starting Bicycling Australia, our first cycling media business, I’ve usually visited Melbourne, which is the centre of Australia’s bicycle industry, at least six times per year… once every eight weeks or so. That totals around 200 visits, so it’s a familiar city to me.
How Do You Get Beginners Riding $7,000 e-Cargo Bikes?
Most readers of the Micromobility Report would probably agree that getting more people riding bikes more often is a good idea. By extension, they’d say that getting more families on bikes, more young kids travelling to school via bike, more shopping done by bike and a host of other everyday applications, would be even better.
More Than Just Handmade Bikes at HBSA 2021
Beam Gets Proactive Ahead of Melbourne Scooter Decision
Melbourne, Victoria In late April, the Victorian Government announced it will undertake a trial to understand how e-scooters can be safely incorporated into the transport network. It will commence later this year and run for up to a year in three council areas chosen through a targeted expression of interest process, regulated by the Department…
Dutch Cargo Bike Rides on Passion, Expertise, and Lived Experience
A Wheelie Good Rack!
Bicycle parking is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to encouraging more people to ride. But before anyone starts drilling holes in public space to install ‘permanent’ bike parking hoops, enclosures or other facilities, they have to jump through expensive hoops themselves in terms of approvals, ensuring they’re not potentially disrupting any underground utilities and so on.
These costs, combined with uncertainty amongst the relevant authorities that the parking would be regularly used, often leads to inaction. No parking leads to less riding and so the vicious cycle repeats.
Ebikes Focus of The Conversation Hour
The Conversation Hour is a Victorian based interview and talkback program on ABC Radio. Hosts Richelle Hunt and Warwick Long recently devoted an entire episode to the growing popularity of ebikes.
Richelle opened the program by declaring that she and her family, who were definitely not ‘hard core’ cyclists, were considering buying an ebike instead of a second car.
The program included calls from various members of the public plus experts from the Australian Electric Vehicle Association and Victoria Walks and Peter Bourke from Bicycle Industries Australia and We Ride Australia.
Taking Lanes on Key Melbourne Arterial Road
Melbourne / Victoria Many Melbourne residents and some visitors would be familiar with Heidelberg Road which is one of the main arterials that radiates out from the city to the suburbs. Heidelberg road is wider and faster than many of the inner city arterials, with three lanes in each direction on the scenic first stretch…