Did you ride an e-bike this past year? If you were in Upper Valley, you would have had many chances to do so, for free, through the Upper Valley E-Bike Lending Library. From April through October, this fleet of four contrasting styles of electric bikes traveled around the Upper Valley – to 14 towns and two employers – where people could sign up to try the e-bikes for free.
Since each e-bike has different features, trying multiple styles is helpful when trying to decide if an e-bike can help you be less dependent on cars. The more we all are able to travel car-free, the less traffic, parking congestion, and emissions we’ll produce, and the less money we’ll spend on gas and car repairs. The hilly terrain and long distances of the Upper Valley can make it hard to get around on a regular bike if you’re not a tip-top athlete. E-bikes making biking accessible to people of more ages and physical condition.
In 2022, the Library’s fourth year in the Upper Valley, over 525 people borrowed e-bikes, whether for 10 minutes at a “Demo Day ” at one of the sites, a full day, or a long weekend. According to post-loan surveys, more than 20 e-bikes were purchased as a direct result of the load and more than 37 additional purchases are planned. More than 80% of the borrowers said the Library loans were extremely helpful in “increasing knowledge of how e-bikes could be integrated into [their] lifestyle.”
What about 2023? Three new towns and two news employers have already said they’d like to host the Library, and many of the current towns plan to host again.
Want to know more about the Upper Valley E-Bike Lending Library? Click the image below to see a presentation by the project’s manager, Anna Guenther.
Published 12/9/22
