The City of Hobart has switched on Tasmania’s first public, free e-bike chargers.
The Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre is the venue as the City’s e-bike chargers make their debut.
The two e-bike charging bays are installed near the DKHAC entrance, as well as a reconfigured space for regular bike parking.
Hobart’s Sustainability in Infrastructure Portfolio Chair Bill Harvey said this was another positive step in the Sustainable Hobart Plan and the Hobart Transport Strategy.
“Projects like this give another reason for residents to leave the car at home and make it easier to use alternative transport,” Cr Harvey said.
“This helps free up our arterial roads from traffic congestion and provides a viable, healthier alternative to driving.”
DKHAC was chosen to encourage a more diverse range of transport to the centre.
The e-bike chargers will be free to use and will enable uses to charge their bike, e-scooter or other personal mobility device (PMD).
The City has a visible CCTV presence in the area that will provide security.
The bike charging area has been brought in closer to the building envelope of DKHAC and will now provide better protection to the parked bikes from rain and other weather elements.
Cr Harvey said diversity of transport was a worthy investment.
“From our research from the recent e-scooter trial, more than 20 per cent of car journeys in some of our most congested suburbs are travelling under 1km, which makes e-bike, e-scooters and other personal mobility devices perfect alternatives,” Cr Harvey said.
“The chargers will be connected to our network where we will be able to record data of its usage, and which will assist us in determining if further e-bike chargers will be installed in the future.”
Bicycle Network Public Affairs Manager – Tasmania Alison Hetherington welcomed the new infrastructure.
“Public e-bike charging facilities are a welcome step in encouraging more people to ride for transport,” Ms Hetherington said.
“Most e-bike trips can be made without extra charging, but they will be useful for people who forget to charge their bike, commuters and tourists riding long distances and bikes with low battery capacity.
“E-bikes could be an alternative to some car travel but we need separated cycleways and secure bike parking if more people are going to make that choice.”
Usage of the e-bike chargers will be monitored and used for decisions for further installations.
