The Climate Action Collaborative in partnership with Eagle County ECO Transit and Walking Mountains Sustainability is excited to announce an electric-assist bike (e-bike) share demonstration for the Eagle County Community August 8-10 at Avon Town Station in Avon. E-bike share provider Bewegen will be on-site to facilitate the large-scale demo to illustrate what a potential county-wide e-bike share program could bring to the Eagle Valley.
The free three-day demo will provide an opportunity for the general public and county officials to not only take a spin on an e-bike, but, also visualize what an e-bike share program could look like in Eagle County. Successful e-bike share programs are already commonplace in many communities including Park City. Since launching in July of 2017, the Summit County UT (Park City) e-bike share has had had over 48,000 trips logged totaling over 88,000 miles.
“We are hoping to garner some real interest from the community through this e-bike share demonstration. Electric-assist bikes have a much smaller footprint than a car and by getting more people on bikes and out of their cars, we can have a big impact on local transportation emissions. A community-wide system would increase multi-modal transportation access to our various towns and neighborhoods that don't have reliable alternative transportation options, plus they are fun to ride," explains Kim Schlaepfer, the Climate Action Collaborative Project Manager.
The Transportation Working Group of the Climate Action Collaborative has been working on a vision to launch a regional e-bike bike share system to increase multi-modal transportation options and connectivity in and between Eagle Valley communities. Electric-assist bikes are ideal for this community given the hilly terrain and linear nature of our Valley.
“The average trip around Park City in their e-bike share programs to date has been 4.2 miles and the system has been primarily used for work and errands. Given the distance between communities like Avon, Vail and Edwards and the abundance of bike paths and bike lanes we believe a comparable program here could be very popular,” said Schlapfer.
E-bike also have a very small carbon footprint compared to other transportation options, and can help our community reach our Climate Action Plan goals of a 25% reduction in carbon pollution by 2025 and 80% by 2050. According to the 2014 Eagle County Energy Inventory transportation from vehicles accounts for roughly 27% of current carbon pollution in Eagle County. An e-bike generates 92% less emissions on average than driving a single-occupancy vehicle and 62% less emissions that taking the bus. Currently it is estimated that 71% of Eagle County residents drive alone to work every day.
Come by Avon Station from 11-3PM on August 8th, 9th, and 10th to give the e-bikes a try! After your demo you are invited to participate in a short survey so the Climate Action Collaborative can learn more about your experience and the locations in the Eagle Valley could be more utilized for an e-bike share program.
Electric-assist bike demo courtesy of Bewegen:
Who’s Invited: The general public and city/county staff and elected officials
Where: Avon Station, Avon CO
When: August 8-10th from 11 AM-3 PM
Why: To garner community and elected official support for a regional electric-assist bike share system in the Eagle Valley.
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