A more sustainable minivan? an exploratory study of electric bicycle use by San Francisco Bay Area families.

PDFTech Reporthttps://ncst.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/NCST-EBike-Parents-Study-Report-Thomas.pdfElectric vehiclesBicyclesSustainable transportationSan Francisco Bay AreaNational Center for Sustainable TransportationThomas, AlainnaUniversity of California, Davis. Institute of Transportation StudiesNational Center for Sustainable TransportationUS Transportation CollectionThis study focuses on family users of electric bikes, including electrified cargo bikes to learnhow e-bikes are substituted for a family car. No previous studies on e-bikes look at family travelor use. Through semi-structured interviews of 20 San Francisco Bay Area e-bicyclists, this studysought to understand who family e-bike users are, their motivations for purchasing an e-bike,and the challenges they encounter. While larger studies are still needed, findings suggest thate-bikes, including electrified cargo bikes, are a viable alternative for cyclists with children. Thisstudy also supports previous research findings on travel behavior that the arrival of childrendoes not always result in the end of biking. Major challenges participants identified were price,parking, and perceptions. Recommendations to address these issues include providing subsidiesto offset costs, increasing parking infrastructure to accommodate diverse bicycle types, anddisseminating more information on electric bikes to overcome misconceptions and to provideparents with an alternative to cars