4 ms·
Yup making cycling at full cost the better option (as you describe tackling the issues around safety, theft) will have a real long-term impact, otherwise you mi
by harha 3y ago
Yup making cycling at full cost the better option (as you describe tackling the issues around safety, theft) will have a real long-term impact, otherwise you might end up subsidizing a fun little toy that is used for a few weeks then goes back to the garage.
Another problem with subsidies is that it targets a specific mode (e-bikes), while simpler, cheaper, normal bikes might be good enough already. It could also lead to local sellers increasing the price of e-bikes.
- KennyBlanken 3y agoYou can buy a $200,000+ hybrid Mercedes-Maybach S 580 that gets 16mpg city, 24 highway...and both state and federal governments will give you a nice big fat check for many, many thousands of dollars. It could be the fifth car you own, which sits in the garage of one of your summer homes in the Hamptons, for 10 out of 12 months. Wringing out hands over people not using a subsidized e-bike "enough" seems pretty silly when for two decades we've been handing many thousands of dollars to anyone who has a pulse and buys a hybrid or electric, with little or no conditions. No income/worth caps, no purchase price caps, no annual usage requirements, nothing.
- petre 3y agoI think it's really subsidizing the car manufacturers to cover for their R&D in the light of more stringent emissions regulation. Bike were already environmentally friendly anyway, even before e-bikes were a thing.