Zero Carbs member Celia has been an e-bike user for many years, here she outlines some of her experiences and hints.
I don’t have a car and instead I use an e-bike to get around Sydney. Very few people in Australia own an e-bike, although in the cities they are widely available to hire.
I am fortunate that I live on the Lower North Shore, close to central Sydney, so I can always throw my e-bike onto the ferry to get into town, or I can cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (Full disclosure: if you currently ride a bike from the North Shore into town, you will be aware that access to the harbour bridge is not easy! And all the building works around the Warringah Freeway upgrade have added to the difficulty. But the good news is that by 2026, there will be a fantastic new bike ramp to get onto the bridge – very exciting! The freeway completion is due in 2027, and that should further enhance the outlook for cyclists in Sydney.)
It is also possible for me to put my e-bike on the train when I am short for time. Although I am a good weather cyclist, I do have waterproof panier bags for any sudden or unavoidable rainfall. The problem with rain in Sydney is that it can make the roads very slippery. This would be less of a problem if there was better infrastructure for cyclists. Unfortunately, there are still not enough segregated bike lanes in Sydney – being separated from the traffic is so much safer for cycling. I have noticed over the years how they are steadily increasing, so at least the direction is right.
Cycling in the dark used to be another issue for me – Sydney streets have very limited lighting. But there is a great solution for this, because there are some brilliant – literally, and figuratively, speaking – bike lights now available. I invested in one, and it is so good that I now quite enjoy cycling through town at night. There is far less traffic and noise, making it faster to get around.
One of the best things for me about cycling daily is that I get exercise going from A to B, and I never need to worry about parking! I have discovered so many wonderful cycling routes on back streets, through the bush, on unexpected cycle lanes in town – and it is hard to beat the feeling of cycling around on a beautiful Sydney summer day. Plus, I get to meet a community of friendly cyclists, either in the repair shops, on the road, or on the ferry or train.
A huge thank you to the wonderful people who are always looking after my e-bike at: Play Bikes Workshop (Cremorne); Tune Cycles (they do mobile repairs); Sydney e-bike repairs (Pyrmont); and Brads Bikes (Neutral Bay). They have all kept me on my bike, for a fraction of the cost of running a car.