Boulder won’t begin an e-bike rebate program this year.
However, the concept is likely to come up again in 2023 when the city can apply for some of the $12 million being distributed by the state for e-bike incentive programs across Colorado.
City Council members on June 21 were asked if they’d like to give a nod of five — an informal majority show of support — to change the transportation and mobility department’s work plan to incorporate an e-bike rebate pilot program in 2022.
While most of the members expressed support for the pilot, the Council ultimately opted against giving the nod, at least in part because it would require shifting Boulder transportation staff’s focus away from the Core Arterial Network.
“It will take significant staff time over the next couple months,” Interim Director of Transportation and Mobility Natalie Stiffler said June 21, adding that the city would need to delay community engagement planned for this summer on one of its initial Core Arterial Network projects along Baseline Road.
Dubbed CAN, the network is a priority that Council unanimously supported during this year’s retreat. It will focus on creating a connected system with protected bicycle lanes, intersection enhancements, pedestrian facilities and transit facility upgrades along some of Boulder’s busiest streets where the most crashes occur.
The e-bike incentive program, initially suggested by members of Boulder’s Transportation Advisory Board and brought forth on Tuesday by Councilmember Matt Benjamin, was inspired by the successful program launched in Denver earlier this year.
In an earlier interview with the Camera, Stiffler said a pilot program would allow Boulder to test some questions: Will getting more e-bikes into more people’s hands shift their mode of transportation? Will people who obtain an e-bike through a potential program use it primarily for recreation? Or might they eliminate single-occupancy vehicle trips and instead take the bike?
Now that it’s working toward something more permanent, Boulder will need to develop its own metrics for success and consider who might be best served by such an incentive program and how to spread the word to those who could benefit.
In Denver’s program, which was coordinated by the climate team, the city offered a $400 rebate for all Denver residents and up to $1,200 for those who fell within certain income levels. The incentive could not exceed the total purchase price and the city limited it to one e-bike per person.
Denver offered an additional $500 for e-cargo bikes or a larger, gear-hauling bike with a motor that can be used to carry children, groceries or anything else.
If and when it begins its own program, Boulder could collaborate with Community Cycles, a nonprofit cycling advocacy organization and bike shop that last summer launched a smaller-scale e-bike program for low-income essential workers.
Executive Director Sue Prant said her organization is “willing to do whatever it takes to make this program happen,” regardless of whether Boulder decides to contract with Community Cycles.
“We believe e-bikes will be a game changer for Boulder, especially for those with longer trips,” Prant said, later adding, “The data shows people are replacing a considerable number of car trips with e-bike trips.”
Benjamin, who is one of the City Council members who suggested the Core Arterial Network project, ultimately reneged on the request for a nod of five, noting he had no intention to slow that work.
High gas prices are one reason he suggested beginning the e-bike program this year. By offering e-bike rebates, Benjamin envisioned a win-win scenario, where Boulder could meet a community need while encouraging people to take fewer car trips.
“It does frustrate me a bit that … our institution as a whole may lack the agility … needed to tackle and take on things like this when the moment is what needs to be seized. The conditions are right for it now,” Benjamin said.
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