Bicycle Queensland has welcomed the State Government’s new incentives for electric vehicle purchases, but says they don’t go far enough.

“E-bikes are the original zero-emission vehicles, and they are even better for the environment than electric cars,” according to Bicycle Queensland’s Director of Advocacy Andrew Demack.

“E-bikes require fewer resources to manufacture and run, and they are more efficient because of their relative lightweight, and the physical input of the person riding. In every way e-bikes are better for the environment than electric vehicles,” Demack said.

“We support the State Government’s initiative to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, especially for business. Logically, if we are giving financial incentives for people to leave fossil-fuel-powered vehicles behind, then e-bikes fall right into that same category.”

One of Australia’s largest commercial enterprises, Australia Post, has switched to small electric trikes which fall outside the regulations for e-bikes, so they have to be registered. Even with that added cost of registration, Australia Post sees a cost-benefit advantage in changing over their entire delivery fleet to small electric vehicles.

Bicycle Queensland urged the Queensland Government to think big and think wide when tackling the issues of climate change and sustainable transport.

“Just because a technology has been available for a while it doesn’t mean it should be discounted or sidelined. In Queensland, we’ve only just begun to see the benefits of e-bikes for commuting and utility trips. In many cities around the world cargo e-bikes are taking a much more prominent role as commercial vehicles, especially for delivery in congested inner-city areas,” Demack said.

In a letter to Transport and Main Roads Minister the Hon Mark Bailey, and Energy and Renewables Minister the Hon Mick de Brenni, Bicycle Queensland put forward the idea of a $1000 rebate on e-bikes, with a further $500 rebate if the e-bike owner also reduces the number of cars registered in Queensland.

“We have heard so often from e-bike retailers that customers are buying e-bikes for their family as a replacement for a second car. This has great financial benefits for those families, but also for Queensland. Fewer cars on the road mean lower emissions and less traffic congestion. Surely this is something that the Queensland Government should embrace!”

The average Brisbane family now spends more than $23,000 per year on transport, about 17% of household income. Let’s give Queensland families the nudge they need to ditch the second car, go green, reduce emissions, and live healthier lives.

In the lead-up to the Brisbane City Council’s budget, Bicycle Queensland’s advocacy team wrote to BCC Transport chair Cr Murphy outlining our top priorities following recent rain events.

We said the recent weather damage to our bikeways must be a signal to BCC to re-double our efforts towards making Brisbane a better place to walk and ride. Any other response will see our generation condemned by those to come.

BQ’s top priorities in Brisbane City Council LGA:

• Complete Stage 5 of the North Brisbane Bikeway.
• Continue with planning and seeking funding for the Toowong to West End and St Lucia to West End Green Bridges.
• Rebuild the Kedron Brook Bikeway back better.

We have also been working with the North Brisbane Bicycle Users Group on potential interim solutions for local access to washed-out sections of the Kedron Brook bikeway around Stafford and Grange. 

BQ and NorthBUG have written to the Lord Mayor offering these solutions and requesting temporary paths be put in place. Read our letter here.

UPDATE: You can view the updates to the North Brisbane Bikeway here.