The Star: May 03, 2018

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Fire rages, homes at risk
E-bikes are spinning our wheels
• By Sarla Donovan
YOU’VE PROBABLY seen them
about. You might even own one
yourself. They’re electric bikes,
and they’re beginning to change
how we live and get around in
our busy cities.
With Christchurch poised to
become New Zealand’s cycling
mecca, it’s no surprise e-bikes
are spinning our wheels.
The e-revolution is hitting
our shores in a big way and the
cycleway capital of the country is
far from immune to the charms
of this new twist on an old idea.
Motorised bikes have been
around since the late 19thcentury
but it’s only in the past
few years that interest in the
electric motor-powered version
has exploded.
Last year the NZTA commissioned
a study into regulations
and safety for e-bikes and lowpowered
vehicles, partly because
of what the report called an “exponential
increase in demand.”
That’s borne out by import
figures.
In 2017, 20,000 e-bikes were
brought into the country, 43 per
cent more than in 2016, according
to Statistics New Zealand.
Nationwide, sales have climbed
almost 10-fold in four years.
The Electric Bike Company
owner Morgan Lawrence said his
Community-led design process should happen
THANK YOU to the more than
1500 submitters on the Long
Term Plan 2018-28.
THe hearings are now under
way with some early themes
emerging, including getting the
basics right – from smooth roads
to chlorine-free drinking water
– and getting much-needed
facilities built.
A number of submitters have
asked for a more community-led
design process in future. In my
view this can and should happen.
As highlighted by the external
figures had “gone through the
roof” over the past two years.
Based in Woolston’s boutique
shopping precinct The Tannery,
Mr Lawrence has been selling
e-bikes since 2007.
“When we first started we had
to explain what an electric bike
was,” he says. “There were only
two to three designated bike
shops in the country. Now, there’s
at least 17 in Auckland alone.”
His sales are doubling year
on year, in spite of competition
from new specialist stores like
Mayor
Lianne Dalziel
advisory group last week, we all
need to understand the links
between our legal obligations as a
council, our strategic directions,
levels of service, the capital
programme and operational
Christchurch Electric Bicycles
and iCycle Electric.
So who is riding them?
Mr Lawrence says early adopters
weren’t the ones you might
think.
“It was your older, sensible
woman between 50 and 75, not
quite ready for a mobility scooter,
which was funny because I
thought it would have been the
young greenies. We’ve got a lot
of them now – we’ve got pretty
much everybody. A lot of parents
buy them for their kids at high
expenditure. Pulling one lever
can have a major impact on
another.
Submitters have picked up
on this with respect to reduced
expenditure on wastewater
POPULAR:
E-bikes are
experiencing
unprecedented
popularity.
National sales
figures show a
rapid increase
from around
2300 in 2014 to
20,000 last year.
school or university. “
Part of the attraction is they’re
cheap to run. After the initial
cost outlay, it’s just a matter of
tyres and basic maintenance.
And they make biking so
much more appealing. If you live
up a hill, or chance on an easterly
gale, just switch into power
mode and off you sail.
The cost varies, but you can
expect to pay between $2700
and $4700 for a brand new
model from The Electric Bike
Company.
infrastructure leading to
increasing the risk of sewage
overflows into the rivers during
storm events; and roads which
might need an early repair to
save a more costly repair or
rebuild down the track.
THis is the second Long
Term Plan I’ve introduced, and
although we know more than we
did with the first, (e.g. we have
our insurance settlement and
now know how much we were
shortchanged on the true cost of
repairing the earthquake damage
The rules
Current NZTA rules don’t
class e-bikes any differently to a
traditional bicycle, even though
they can travel much faster.
The maximum power limit is
300w, which goes up to around
30km/h depending on weight;
anything higher than that is legally
defined as a moped, which
requires the rider to hold a valid
driver licence.
But the NZTA’s 2017 report
says New Zealand’s legislation
is not consistent with any other
country.
It only regulates motor power
but not maximum speed, the
expectation being that the power
rating will limit velocity.
That could be up for review,
with the report recommending
that speed classifications and a
relaxation of maximum power
limits be considered, along with
a maximum speed and size for
vehicles using footpaths.
It also suggests minimum age
limits and driver licensing for
higher speed e-bikes and low
powered vehicles, should legislation
enable their import.
Whether any of the changes
end up being adopted remain to
be seen.
For now, anyone riding a bike
with a power capacity higher
than 300w – is breaking the law.
to our horizontal infrastructure),
maybe we could co-design the
consultation document with the
community in such a way as to
make everything more accessible
for everyone.
THe theme for this LTP is “we’re
in this together”. That cannot be
just for the delivery – it must be in
the planning as well.
•If you want to ask Ms
Dalziel a question, email
mayor@ccc.govt.nz. Put
Reader’s Question in the
subject line
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