FOCUS: The e-bike grant ‘lottery’… "positive", "token" or money better spent on cycle tracks?

Friday 13 January 2023

The Government's new £300,000 scheme to encourage more islanders to purchase e-bikes using a grant 'lottery' has drawn mixed reactions.

Express spoke to politicians and shop owners for their views...

How does the scheme work? 

The scheme offers applicants vouchers ranging between £300 and £600 to be used to purchase electric bikes in participating shops.

The first application window opens this week, with just over 100 applicants to be chosen at random for a £300 voucher towards an e-bike, £600 towards an e-cargo bike or £600 towards an adapted e-cycle which can be used in participating local shops.

Further application windows will open once every three months over the next two years.

Why is it being introduced?

It's not the first time there has been a government scheme to drive e-bike use locally - others were launched in 2016 and 2019.

This latest iteration, which will cost £300,000, is one of the initiatives forming part of the 'Carbon Neutral Roadmap' – a set of policies aiming to ensure the island hits net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Assistant Minister with responsibility for climate-related policy, Deputy Hilary Jeune said her officers estimated the scheme would remove the annual equivalent of 133 peoples' carbon emissions – nearly 500 tonnes.

"That's one less person in a car"

Ian Williams, the owner of 'Cog and Sprocket' - one of the shops taking part in the scheme, was extremely positive about the new scheme.

He said: "If it means getting 1000 e-bikes onto the road, then it can't be anything other than a good idea. It's about getting people off the road. For every person you get on a bike, that's one less person in a car, that’s less congestion, and maybe one less person who gets delayed on their way to the hospital.

"There's absolutely no excuse for people to be in cars.”

"It's helping people to convert"

Richard Tanguy, a mechanic at Big Maggy's Cafe and Bike shop, said: "It's a good scheme, it's helping people to convert to thinking about cycling.

"The first e-bike scheme, for instance, made a massive difference, it got the ball rolling for all e-bikes in the Island." 

Pictured: Vouchers ranging from £300-600 will be available for Islanders to use to purchase e-bikes in participating shops. 

"We have to encourage more people"

St. Saviour Constable Kevin Lewis, the former Minister for infrastructure who oversaw a previous e-bike scheme in 2019, said: "I'm all for it.

"With the congestion we have, we have to encourage more people to cycle." 

"I can't help but think this is a token gesture"

While the scheme appears to have drawn strong praise for its encouragement of cycling, its implementation has drawn some criticism. In particular, given that the cost of an e-bike can be anywhere between £2,000 to £6,000, some have questioned how many 'converts' the scheme will actually create - particularly as the scheme isn't means-tested.

Deputy Rob Ward, member of the Environment, Housing and Infrastucture Scrutiny Panel, said: “I support all schemes that move people to more sustainable forms of transport, but I can’t help but think this is a token gesture, rather than a meaningful attempt to change the culture around cycling."

Pictured: An e-bike can cost between £2000 to £6000. The vouchers on offer only go up to £600.

He added: "I'm not sure who it's targeted at. It's not targeted for low-income groups. It seems like a break for those who already have the money." 

"No safeguards"

Deputy Ward's Reform Jersey colleague Deputy Sam Mézec said on Twitter: "This scheme is a lottery which, under its current rules, can help rich people buy a £2,000 e-bike for £1,700.

"It also has no safeguards in it about the use of those ebikes remaining in Jersey. We raised these concerns with government previously, but clearly not important to them."

"You're just giving it to the people who can afford it"

Chris Ibberson from Pedal Power, one of the participating shops, said: "£300 isn't going to make the slightest bit of difference.

"£300 is not enough, you're just giving it to the people who can afford it. It's just ticking a box." 

Richard Tanguy from Big Maggy's said: "If you're going to purchase something decent, safe and reliable you have to spend £2,000 at least and not everyone's got that."

Pictured: Some shop owners questioned whether the £300,000 might have been better spent on cycling infrastructure. 

Participating shops also questioned whether, if the Government is genuinely concerned about encouraging cycling, that money could have been better spent in other areas.

"The money... would be better spent on cycle tracks"

Aaron Lappage, the owner of Aaron's Bikeshop, said: "Anything that gets people to buy bikes is encouraging and cycling is becoming more and more popular, but they effectively discourage it through the lack of cycling infrastructure."

He added: "The money spent on this would be better spent on cycle tracks. In Holland, for example, the first thing they do when they build a new town is they put down a cycle track and the town comes after. Here, we have a town and we put a cycle track through it.

"There's no point in having ad hoc measures when we need an overall solution."

More information on the latest scheme can be found here.