The city could join others in offering rebates on e-bikes to get more people out of their cars and reduce traffic and carbon emissions.
With e-bike rebate programs proving extremely popular in other cities, Atlanta could be the next to offer rebates to residents who purchase e-bikes, reports Meris Lutz for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Making e-bikes more accessible can help Atlanta residents lower their carbon footprints, spend more time outdoors, and more easily replace short car trips. According to Lutz, “Georgia law treats e-bikes as regular bicycles that do not require licensing or registration as long as the motor is less than 750 watts and the speed tops out at 20 miles per hour.”
Councilman Matt Westmoreland, who sponsored legislation to create an e-bike subsidy study committee, hopes to enact a program by Earth Day on April 22. Although the details have yet to be hammered out, he envisions about a $1 million program to start, possibly with federal money, with larger rebates for income-qualifying residents.
The article outlines the city’s recent failures to meet its goals when it comes to bike infrastructure, which impacts how residents feel about biking on the city’s streets. But recent changes in city government, as well as a $750 million infrastructure approved by voters that includes funding for protected bike lanes, could bode well for Atlanta’s bike infrastructure.
FULL STORY: Atlanta eyes subsidizing e-bikes as popularity surges
Washington State E-Bike Rebate Set to Launch in April
The state program will offer up to $1,200 to fund the purchase of electric bikes.
California E-Bike Rebate Demand Far Exceeds Supply
The queue to apply for California’s new e-bike incentive program, which only offered 1,500 vouchers, reached 100,000 people.
Denver Taking New Applications for Wildly Popular E-Bike Rebate Program
Residents are taking advantage of the city’s rebate program, which offers discounts of up to $1,200 on e-bikes for low-income residents.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Mexico City Anti-Gentrification Plan Aims to Half Housing Deficit
The plan comes in response to protests that targeted ‘digital nomads’ who locals blame for driving up housing costs.
Chicago Has Quietly Built Hundreds of Neighborhood Traffic Circles
Thanks largely to one alderperson’s efforts, the city has made mini-roundabouts a key piece of its road safety strategy.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Fort Worth
planning NEXT
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie