EBikes, EScooters, Eeverything

John Woodman

My son's visit to Blackpool this past weekend brought with it an eye opening firsthand account of the explosion in sales and market for electric powered transport modes. His recent setting up of an Ebike sales business and market justification underpins the move towards electric powered vehicles of all types, shapes and sizes - away from conventional petrol and diesel brands.

We are indeed entering a whole new world of energy use and sourcing which is transforming a century or more of accepted norms. The sight of effortless movement along roads and pavements by seemingly unpowered bikes and scooters is no longer a novel experience and one which is bringing with it a whole raft of new road safety challenges, given the silent mode of travel. It was once said that trolleybuses were silent killers as their travel came without any external sound other than the swishing of their overhead twin pole collectors on the roof.

Below : Harley Davidson Ladies/Female design :

Urban travel will accrue new dimensions with increased volume of electric powered transport modes taking passengers out of buses (and trams) but requiring new infrastructure for the safe storage of what are expensive ebikes such as the Harley Davidson model to be launched later this year ( Below).

Ebikes with sidecars may well return to our roads where they were once a familiar sight up until the 1960s when the affordability of cars essentially elbowed out the two wheel (or even three wheel) motorised travel mode. No doubt variations on the two wheel theme will evolve in time to facilitate carriage of shopping and packages. Electric power is returning with a vengeance as today's generation takes up the economic advantages of clean energy mobility on our roads. Of course it will mean a fulsome rewriting of the 'Highway Code' and amendments to driving tests among other changes to accepted norms.

Pedal power is a familiar sight in The Netherlands when shoals of bicycle riders dominate urban streets together with serried rows of safely parked bikes outside suburban train stations. Not that this is unique to that country already known for its 'green' credentials. It used to be a common enough feature of British towns and cities with daily commutes by bicycle or motorcycle were part and parcel of peak hour journeys. The 'bike shed' at our school being testimony to the days when pupils walked, biked or caught the 'School Special' bus five days a week and moms' either didn't drive or couldn't afford a car. The profusion of parental chauffering of their children to and from school simply wasn't an issue. My own bike was a red 'Raleigh' bought from a retailer on Talbot Road and later an 'upgraded' drop handle model as I progressed (in years). They served me very well indeed providing cost free transport around town to view the comings and goings of the local transport fleet from depots as far as Squires Gate Lane to Red Bank Road in Bispham.

As my son points out the exponential growth of ebike online dealerships is evidence enough of the rapid changes underway in personal preferences of the 'egeneration'. Of course Blackpool was way ahead when it adopted electric power for its new tramway in 1885 - shunning steam, horse and the smelly gas powered examples adopted in Lytham and St Annes. No chance of any of these coming back - fortunately.