Disappointed Lobbyists Say EV Strategy a Missed Opportunity
Canberra, ACT
Last week’s release of the Federal Government’s National Electric Vehicle Strategy has been branded a “major missed opportunity” by peak active transport lobby groups disappointed the document doesn’t make a single mention of e-bikes and other forms of micromobility
Groups such as We Ride Australia and the State advocacy organisations welcomed the strategy as a positive step in accelerating a shift to lower-emission cars and heavy vehicles.
“We call on the Government to develop a strategic approach to active travel within the framework.”
“It is a major step forward in the Government’s intent to achieve significant emissions abatement from the transport sector,” according to a statement from We Ride Australia.
“But it is also a missed opportunity. Without explicit reference to low and zero-emissions modes like e-bikes and light electric vehicles for freight, the Government has failed to acknowledge some of the most affordable and rapidly deployable forms of e-transport that are available now.
“With 19% of all emissions coming from the transport sector and 10% coming from private cars, transport is rightly a key focus of our government’s efforts to address climate change.
“The strategy should also consider active travel to contribute to the transport emissions reduction task, not just swapping the cars we drive for EVs.”
“We call on the Government to develop a strategic approach to active travel within the framework.”
“It means that this critical sector can’t contribute to its full potential in helping Australia towards net zero emissions and the secondary benefits including social and health benefits are continually ignored.”
We Ride, a national cycling advocacy organisation, says it looks forward to working with the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, and Minister for Transport, Catherine King, “to develop the next stage of Australia’s transport transition that places active travel firmly within the framework released today”.
“WeRide has commenced discussions with the Minister (for Transport) and the department on a clearer focus on active travel policy and outcomes, with active travel contributing not only carbon abatement, but positive wider benefits in our communities, addressing health, congestion and liveability,” the statement says.
Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean agreed it was a “major missed opportunity” that failed to “identify micromobility as a legitimate solution to form part of Australia’s sustainable transport mix”.
“It means that this critical sector can’t contribute to its full potential in helping Australia towards net zero emissions and the secondary benefits including social and health benefits are continually ignored,” he said.
“There are over two million car trips each and every day in greater Sydney which are less than two kilometres. This is an astounding trend which needs to be wound back and it is the low-hanging fruit where behaviour is most likely to change and which can then lead onto wider adoption of sustainable forms of micromobility transport.”
He said these sub-two-kilometre trips generate more than 250,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum, based on National Transport Commission figures for average passenger vehicle emissions per kilometre.
“If this trend can be halved or quartered in Sydney (saving 62,500 to 125,000 tonnes C02) and then replicated in other capital cities and major regional cities, then it is estimated that we can save between 500,000 to 1,000,000 tonnes of C02 per annum in Australia,” he explained.
Peter said micromobility’s absence from the federal EV strategy revealed a need for greater advocacy at all three levels of government.
“Although some levels of government don’t get it or understand it, we are confident that some do and will take advantage of these opportunities,” he said.
Pedal Power ACT executive director Simon Copeland said it was disappointing to see bikes again overlooked as a mainstream sustainable transport option.
“If we want to create a sustainable transport future, we cannot rely on electric cars on their own. E-bikes in particular provide a revolutionary potential to fundamentally shift how we get around,” according to Simon.
“However, once again, they are being ignored.
“We need to see both State and federal governments support the uptake of e-bikes, including building infrastructure such as safe and secure parking and charging stations.”
“Despite this policy setback, we can still expect e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and e-scooters to play an increasingly important role in shaping our communities.”
The exclusion of micromobility from the strategy sends the wrong message to the community and will slow the transition to micromobility – but the sector will defy the setback, according to WestCycle, one of the State cycling promotion bodies that collaborated with We Ride to produce a submission to a Federal Government EV review that informed the strategy.
“Our submission advocated for the inclusion of micromobility in the strategy because it is the future of transport, both for moving people, as well as for last-mile freight,” says the WA organisation’s active transport manager, Dr Georgia Scott.
“Micromobility offers sustainable, affordable and flexible modes of transport that need support at all levels of government in order to decarbonise the transport sector at the speed required to limit the worst impacts of climate change.
“Micromobility continues to grow in popularity and use and so, despite this policy setback, we can still expect e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and e-scooters to play an increasingly important role in shaping our communities.
She said WestCycle will continue to work with other active transport advocacy organisations to jhelp lead the way in urban mobility.
“A focus purely on EVs supports maintenance of the status quo for how our cities and towns are designed and connected.”
“The last IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report is very clear that we aren’t going to decarbonise the transport system with EVs alone, and that support for micromobility and walking is necessary to make the shift to a zero-carbon transport system within an urgent time frame – this decade,” Georgia said.
“While the use of novel micromobility modes and e-bikes is increasing, the pace at which micromobility should be taken up as an alternative to, in particular, car driving will be slower than it would have been with government support.
“The question around perception is also very important. A focus purely on EVs supports maintenance of the status quo for how our cities and towns are designed and connected, and signals that government’s transport and urban planning and design focus will continue to be on moving people by private car, which in turn does nothing to shift social norms around transport modes to more sustainable and equitable options.”
Georgia said lobby groups need to keep advocating for government support, and share stories of regular people using micromobility to make their everyday journeys better.
Another collaborator in the We Ride submission, Bicycle Queensland, said it had also directly asked the Queensland Government to include e-bikes in its State subsidy scheme, only to get a “polite no” from its Minister for Transport, Mark Bailey.
“Changing from one type of car to another which has fewer emissions does nothing to address congestion or the inherent wastefulness of single-occupant motor vehicles as the default means of getting around our urban areas,” Bicycle Queensland says.
“E-bikes are a very fast-growing market in Queensland and around the world. But the capital cost of entry is still a barrier to many. Bicycle Queensland supports a targetted approach which applies a means test before handing out a subsidy for an e-vehicle (or e-bike).
“In that context, people who are hardest hit by the rising cost of living would have an opportunity to make a change for the better.”
Connecting with US People for Bikes
We Ride’s director – national advocacy, Stephen Hodge, is travelling to the US this month and will work with peers from lobby group People for Bikes to connect with the US Federal Congressional Bike Caucus.
He is hoping the connection will help link Australian MPs with US congressional bike leaders.
We Ride also last month expressed some disappointment about the Federal Government’s recently released 10-year National Road Safety Strategy Action Plan.
“In our opinion it doesn’t go far enough in allocating clear responsibility based on data to ensure investments in road safety are working,” the group says.
“We are continuing the advocacy with key partners across motoring, trucking and motorbike sectors and experts like the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian College of Road Safety to get better outcomes.”
Join the Conversation
Is the omission of micromobility from the EV strategy a significant setback for the sector? What steps do you think the micromobility sector needs to take to address this exclusion?