A University of Limerick research project examining e-bike use has found that a considerable percentage of those who took part in a study would be willing to purchase their own bike.
ISCycle (Inclusive e-bike uptake and Sustainable use) is an innovative UL-led research project examining how e-bikes can change transport behaviours to improve health and protect the environment.
The project aims to generate evidence for more inclusive cycle access policies and schemes and has been examining the impact of e-bike loans in workplace settings since 2022.
The team has received funding from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to move to a second phase to examine the potential impacts of widening access to electric bikes for health, environment, and inclusion.
This second phase - ISCycle2 - was launched by Mayor of Limerick John Moran at the Citizen Innovation Lab in UL’s City Centre Campus.
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 builds on ongoing UL research looking at the impact of e-bike loans in workplace settings. Four workplaces are taking part with employees loaned an e-bike and cycling accessories for 4-12 weeks.
Among people who already completed the initial study measures, 43% said they intended to purchase their own bike, with a further 35% still deciding (based on 126 responses).
While 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.
Moving beyond workplace settings, ISCycle2 now aims to involve people who are not positioned to benefit from existing bicycle access schemes such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, including people who are retired from employment and parents who are at home full-time.
Speaking at the ISCycle2 project launch, 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. The project is responding to the known benefits that can be felt by individuals and communities if more people take up sustainable and active forms of transport.
“This project offers people a chance to experience cycling firsthand and the variety of ebikes available means people can travel further, even carrying passengers, without depending on a car. 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 of UL’s School of Allied Health and Physical Activity for Health Research Centre, Health Research Institute and lead investigator at ISCycle, explained: “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. 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.”
Building on the team’s ongoing e-bike research within workplace settings, this latest phase of the ISCycle project takes place in the community setting and will focus on social inclusion and circular economy as principles of an equitable and sustainable energy transition in the transport sector.
Kerrie Sheehan, Head of Research, Innovation and Electricity, 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.
“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.”
The research team is working with Limerick Cycling Campaign on the project and Vice Chair Anne Cronin explained that the group was “happy to collaborate on projects such as ISCycle2 as it targets communities that are routinely overlooked in terms of the promotion of active travel.
“These communities are key for creating inclusive and meaningful sustainable change in how we move throughout the city and suburbs of Limerick.”
The ISCycle2 project will produce new evidence to understand how inclusive access to e-bikes could widen opportunities for active and sustainable mobility across our communities. The research will explore impacts on physical activity, carbon emissions, bike repair and recycling, household spending on transport, and social participation.
