Bravo, Adelaide City Council. Bravo!

Last night, the City of Adelaide became the first government in mainland Australia to commit to subsidising the purchase of e-bikes and electric-assisted as well as unassisted cargo bikes for its residents and business operators.

This is an exciting and historic step in Australia and a thrilling moment for the cycling, health and environmental protection communities.

It should be just as warmly welcomed by the motoring and business communities because every extra cyclist on the daily commute is one fewer car worsening the congestion and delays. And studies overseas have universally shown that streets that are quieter, cleaner and frequented more by cyclists and pedestrians instead of drivers reap more profits for their businesses.

Australian cycling organisations, including Bike SA, have long lobbied all levels of government for just this sort of initiative and the City of Adelaide should be commended for taking the leap. It is second only to Tasmania, which late last year launched a rebate program for e-mobility devices (bikes, cargo bikes, scooters & skateboards). The Tassie scheme is limited to only $200,000 which is likely to run dry in a month or two and there is not yet any guarantee of future funding.

At its meeting last night, the council voted to support Councillor David Elliott’s motion to develop the parameters for bike-purchase subsidies as part of the Sustainability Incentives Scheme.

Furthermore, it also voted in favour of council hosting an event to celebrate World Car-Free Day in September this year, while the decision to investigate installing a raised wombat crossing on Franklin St completed the treble of support for active transport and the community-wide benefits it delivers.

One priority of the council’s draft Integrated Climate Strategy is to “triple the number of city workers who cycle to work and double the number of local residents who walk to work”. Council’s endorsement of Cr Elliott’s motion is a huge step towards achieving those numbers.

Bike SA CEO Brett Gillett said the successful motion was “ground-breaking and very encouraging”.

“This sets us in motion to deliver real, tangible benefits to the entire community, whether they ride or not,” he said.

“Getting more people cycling improves our health, economy, environment and traffic congestion. Bike SA applauds Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith, Councillor David Elliott and all those who supported this motion and we look forward to watching the scheme’s progress.”

Now that the City of Adelaide has led the way here, we hope others at all levels of government will share that vision and follow suit and provide the incentives and safety measures to encourage people to shift to cleaner, greener, healthier and sustainable transport, now and far into the future.