Did you know that transport is Australia’s third-largest emissions source (around 22%), with road transport (cars, light/heavy vehicles) generating most of it?
Electric bikes (e-bikes), especially if powered off renewable energy, can help you to cut your own emissions significantly.
An e-bike is a battery powered bike, a pedal-assist – this means that you must cycle for it to move, and so you do get exercise. It is not a motorbike, and in Australia you don’t need a license to ride it. To be designated an e-bike, there is a speed limit controller on the bike of 25Km/hour. The battery is removable and charged using a power point socket.
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 cycle over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (Full disclosure in 2025: 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, that 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- on the road, on the ferry or train, and even in the bike servicing shops.
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. (These are genuine, unprompted and unpaid endorsements by the way).