Toronto adds electric bicycles to bike-share fleet -- at no extra cost to users

Thestar.com
August 21, 2020
David Rider

Users of Toronto’s bike-share system now have the option of riding electric-assisted bikes that can help them zip along at 25 km/h.

The 300 e-bikes, part of a Bike Share Toronto pilot project, will make cycling an option for people with mobility issues who aren’t able to pedal Toronto’s busy streets, or don’t feel comfortable doing so, advocates say.

“This, plus protected bike lanes, could be a game changer for important demographic: seniors,” said Gabriel Eidelman, a University of Toronto assistant professor and director of the university’s Urban Policy Lab.

“For example, my 81-year-old dad, who wants to bike, just got a new Bike Share station in front of his condo building, but has trouble with hills and is worried about safety.”

Pedal-only shared bikes are stable and easy to get on and off, but heavier than normal bikes and tougher to ride uphill. Eidelman said the key is pairing e-bikes with protected bike lanes where people can use them safely and confidently.

The first e-bike charging station appeared at Yonge and Charles Streets on Wednesday. There will soon be 10, primarily at Green P surface parking lots.

Users of the city bike-share system, who pay a $99 annual membership or cheaper fees for short-term rental, won’t pay extra to use bikes that have electric motors in addition to pedals.

All users incur extra fees after 30 minutes. The e-bikes have a range of 70 kilometres.

Mayor John Tory also announced that users will get free rides every Wednesday in September, thanks to a partnership with CAA South Central Ontario.

Tory said he pedalled a regular Bike Share bike on Wednesday from his downtown condo to work, much of it in protected lanes.

“I’m not much of a cyclist ... but my experience this morning could convince me to do more,” Tory told reporters at a news conference.

Tory noted that under his leadership city council dramatically accelerated approval of new bike lanes this year, partly as a result of the pandemic and a need for alternatives to mass transit.

New protected lanes on Bloor Street, Danforth Avenue and University Avenue will add 40 kilometres of lanes, the largest single-year build-out of on-street cycling infrastructure in Toronto’s history.

Tory also suggested city council might next year vote to add electric scooters to the Bike Share Toronto fleet. Council recently told city staff to study concerns that those devices pose a serious safety hazard to disabled Torontonians before devising a pilot project that could include privately run e-scooter services on city streets.