Researchers at the University of Limerick found that among 126 respondents who completed the first part of their study, 43% said they intended to purchase their own bike and a further 35% were still deciding.
Four workplaces are taking part in the on-going research which started in 2022 and includes employees lending an e-bike and cycling accessories for 4-12 weeks.
Researchers found that “poor weather, traffic safety, and practical obstacles were identified as barriers to e-biking by those who took part, reported advantages included saving time in traffic, being active on the commute to work, cycling with children as passengers, and benefitting the environment.”
The team of researchers has now received funding from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to move to the second phase of their work to examine the potential impacts of widening access to electric bikes for health, environment, and inclusion.
They said that the four-year project “will explore the effects of e-bike access for parents and older people, while also studying the environmental impacts of rising e-bike ownership in Ireland.”
The ISCycle, inclusive e-bike uptake and sustainable use, project aims to generate evidence for more inclusive cycle access policies and schemes.
This second phase, ISCycle2, was launched recently by Mayor of Limerick John Moran at the Citizen Innovation Lab in the University of Limerick’s City Centre Campus.
It will look at involving people who are not positioned to benefit from the existing Cycle to Work Scheme, including people who are retired from employment and parents who are at home full-time.
The research will explore impacts on physical activity, carbon emissions, bike repair and recycling, household spending on transport, and social participation.
The researchers outlined that the four-year project will explore the effects of e-bike access for parents and older people, while also studying the environmental impacts of rising e-bike ownership in Ireland.
The project will include a focus on inclusion and the circular economy as principles of an equitable sustainable energy transition in the transport sector.
Mayor of Limerick John Moran said: “Changing behaviour is about changing minds. The ISCycle2 project is an innovative opportunity for more people in Limerick to try out new ways of travelling around the city and its surrounding areas.”
“This project offers people a chance to experience cycling firsthand and the variety of e-bikes available means people can travel further, even carrying passengers, without depending on a car, he said.
Mayor Moran added: “By removing the upfront financial barriers to bicycle access, ISCycle2 opens up our active travel infrastructure in Limerick to more people, prioritising social inclusion and participation and will be particularly important in some areas of the city where up to 40% of households do not have a car.”
Professor James Green, lead investigator at ISCycle, said: “The community take-up from the first phase of ISCycle has been amazing, with a number of inspiring stories from people who have not cycled in decades finding that an e-bike enables them to travel by bike in ways they didn’t previously consider possible.”
“Electric bikes in particular have the potential to be transformational, enabling people to travel further, to be able to carry children, cargo, and passengers, making them a plausible car replacement,” he said.
Green added: “Having a range of different styles of ebikes has allowed us to include people with different transport needs and purposes, such as parents and older people.”
Kerrie Sheehan, head of research, innovation and electricity at SEAI, said: “The SEAI National Research Development and Demonstration Programme is delighted to fund this research project which aims to decrease over-reliance on private vehicles and increase active and public transport usage, by providing wider opportunities for under-resourced communities in Limerick.”
She added: “The new e-bike loan scheme promises to provide vital data on the health and social benefits of cycling as well as estimate cost and emission savings for urban areas so learnings from this project can be used in future planning scenarios across Ireland.”
Anne Cronin, vice chairperson of the Limerick Cycling Campaign, who is working with the researchers, said that the group is “happy to collaborate on projects such as ISCycle2 as it targets communities that are routinely overlooked in terms of the promotion of active travel.”
She added: “These communities are key for creating inclusive and meaningful sustainable change in how we move throughout the city and suburbs of Limerick.”
IMAGE: Irene Ward, research, development and demonstration at Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Mayor of Limerick John Moran and Professor James Green, lead investigator at ISCycle at the launch of the project (Photos by Sean Curtin).