First Effort of its Kind in the Nation
Go! Vermont and VBike are collaborating to help propel Vermont forward in redefining bike transportation by positioning the Green Mountain State as a leader in bold approaches to bike design and technology. In addition, VSECU is helping to make these innovative bike solutions financially viable to as many Vermonters as possible.
Over the past ten years, an extraordinary bicycle transportation movement has been emerging nationwide, aiming to actively encourage livable communities, promote physical and mental health, and contend with climate change. One of the most notable signs of a significant bike boom occurring in the United States are the 38 major bike share programs that have been established since 2007, with plenty more on the way. However, a significant piece of this bike transportation trend is being driven by recent innovations, including the latest electric-assist options and cargo bikes, which profoundly expand the range, carrying capacity (children and cargo), hill climbing ease, comfort and overall utility of biking.
Go! Vermont, the state’s alternative transportation agency, and VBike, an organization promoting cutting-edge cycling technology in Vermont, have teamed up to bring new ideas to the state’s bicycle culture. Together they revamped Go!Vermont’s biking webpage to reflect the most recent developments in bike designs and e-assist options that make negotiating Vermont’s challenging hilly terrain practical for nearly anyone, even with children on board a cargo bike! Go Vermont has also has contracted with VBike to provide free consultations with households, families, and businesses to help Vermonters choose between the right cargo bike and e-assist system that best fit their needs. And in a recent development, VSECU, a credit union for all Vermonters, has extended their innovative VGreen low-interest loan program to the purchase of bikes for transportation. This will make the purchase of an electric-assist cargobike, which can replace a car for many local trips (school drop off, errands, commuting), a financially viable option.
Vermont Representative Mollie S. Burke, stated that “I am thrilled that Go Vermont and VBike are working together to promote a new generation of bike designs and technologies that expand the ability of Vermonters to use bicycles for every-day use. This transportation option offers a low-cost opportunity to help Vermont reduce carbon emissions from motor vehicles, one of my highest legislative priorities.”
The Go Vermont and VBike collaboration along with VSECU extending their VGreen loans to cargo bikes, e-bikes and other bike transportation options represent an unprecedented joint effort to rethink, reimagine, and reinterpret the bicycle towards a whole new era in Vermont. This may be the first effort of its kind in the nation to reconceptualize transportation biking at the state level and combine that with making the purchase of bike for transportation easier than ever before!
Contact Info:
VBike – Dave Cohen 802-258-7013 dave@vbikesolutions.org www.vbikesolutions.org
Go! Vermont – Ross.MacDonald@state.vt.us www.connectingcommunter.org
VSECU – Laurie Fielder LFielder@vsecu.com www.vsecu.com
Resources:
Less Car More Go – Informative video about the emergence of the cargobike in the US
Families Ditch Cars for Cargo Bikes – New York Times 4/22/15
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