A good counter-example is Copenhagen. There, almost nobody uses ebikes in the city. (It would not be faster because there are so many bikes on the road. There is a bridge across the harbour where at rush hour times there pass more than two bikes per second, that’s over 5000 vehicles a hour.)
What made the difference was good, safe bike infrastructure. And NL has this, too.
I think it’s worth noting that Copenhagen doesn’t only have good cycling infrastructure, but also a relatively young and fit population, a population that has grown up cycling, a good public transport network leading to a completion of public transport vs ebike instead of car vs ebike, and it’s very flat.
For many people, an ebike can be the difference between a workout vs a regular commute. It might be just what they need to leave their car at home (or not have a car at all)
Nice, does it depend maybe on the terrain as well (NL is flat, but I was in southern towns and they were a bit hilly).
Anyway, I 100% agree that safe infrastructure is a necessary condition for bike usage. But I look at Rome for example and I can’t imagine elder people biking (even if there was infrastructure) without ebikes, due to so many hills - let alone smaller towns in the inland.
A good counter-example is Copenhagen. There, almost nobody uses ebikes in the city. (It would not be faster because there are so many bikes on the road. There is a bridge across the harbour where at rush hour times there pass more than two bikes per second, that’s over 5000 vehicles a hour.)
What made the difference was good, safe bike infrastructure. And NL has this, too.
I think it’s worth noting that Copenhagen doesn’t only have good cycling infrastructure, but also a relatively young and fit population, a population that has grown up cycling, a good public transport network leading to a completion of public transport vs ebike instead of car vs ebike, and it’s very flat. For many people, an ebike can be the difference between a workout vs a regular commute. It might be just what they need to leave their car at home (or not have a car at all)
Nice, does it depend maybe on the terrain as well (NL is flat, but I was in southern towns and they were a bit hilly).
Anyway, I 100% agree that safe infrastructure is a necessary condition for bike usage. But I look at Rome for example and I can’t imagine elder people biking (even if there was infrastructure) without ebikes, due to so many hills - let alone smaller towns in the inland.