E-bike Expo gives islanders the chance to try out cycles
PEOPLE were given the chance to try out, learn about, or buy e-bikes at an event at North Beach yesterday.
E-Bike Expo was a joint initiative run by the Guernsey Bicycle Group, Adventure Cycles, Go Guernsey and the Health Improvement Commission.
Bike ability instructors were also offering the opportunity to register interest in adult cycle skills courses.
Essential skills trainer at the PEH, Silvi Kovacic, said she was interested in getting an e-bike.
‘I’ve got a bike at the moment but it’s shabby and not electric,’ she said.
‘I’d like to cycle to work more in the summer with the lighter days. Ideally I’d like a folding bike that I could put in the car too.’
Company director Edward Bowen said he rode 2,500 miles on his e-bike each year, taking his son to and from school.
His wife, Samantha, also had an e-bike but had ordered a more powerful one.
‘I think people in Guernsey are very respectful of cyclists,’ he said.
‘I think the first lockdown helped in that respect. Cycling in Guernsey is far safer than it is in London.’
Another man said he was in the market for an e-bike as a car substitute.
‘We’d like to go from two family cars to one, and have an e-bike as a permanent alternative,’ he said.
‘The e-bike I tried today was great and almost effortless to ride. It felt really good.’
Alun Williams from the Health Improvement Commission said he felt there a shift in behaviours had started and more people were now looking to cycle rather than to jump in their cars.
‘We do a lot of work in the schools and there’s a real enthusiasm for encouraging children to travel actively,’ he said.
‘People want to walk or cycle more and our aim is to help them achieve their ambition and embrace that.’
