爱豆传媒 researchers are looking into the use of e-bikes, e-cargobikes and e-scooters in Brighton and Hove. If you live in Brighton and Hove and your postcode begins with BN1 or BN3 you can . Survey ends Friday 19 May 2023.
In addition, starting 15 May 2023, researchers will be supporting e-cargo bike use among households and families. People living in Preston Park/Fiveways and Hove park areas in Brighton and Hove have the chance to try out a high quality e-cargo bike for one month, fully supported by mechanics and cycling instructors.
The trial loans will run throughout the summer until the end of September. In return, participants will be asked to contribute to a research project through regular short interviews, and also by sharing data collected by the bike itself on how it is used.
The ELEVATE project - can e-bikes help reduce carbon emissions?
The survey and vehicle loans are part of the £1.7 million ELEVATE Project, which aims to understand how e-bikes and e-scooters might change the way we travel.
Covering e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and e-scooters, the project is being run in Leeds, Brighton and Oxford, funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Science Research Council. , will supply vehicles for the project in Brighton and Hove.
Researchers are hoping to discover whether “e-micromobility” could be a practical alternative to car use. Can it realistically make travel feel easier and more active, while in the process, reducing carbon emissions?
ELEVATE research will contribute to understanding of whether vehicles like e-cargo bikes would be a good way to connect communities, increase physical activity and reduce vehicle pollution. They are keen to hear all views and experiences, both positive and negative!
ELEVATE research lead for Brighton, Dr Mary Darking says, “Changing the way we travel takes time and effort. It’s not something that everyone is interested in or has the option to do. When you add to that questions of which modes are legal, safe storage and parking, concerns over road safety - there are suddenly a lot more reasons for us to stay with what we know. We want to find out people’s view on these questions and through our trials find out what happens when you support people to try new modes of travel. Do they experience any benefits? Do they use their cars less? If the answer to those questions is ‘no’ and ‘no’ then we need to feed that back to policy makers.”
The overall project lead, Dr Ian Philips, from the Institute of Transport Studies at the University of Leeds said: “If the UK is to hit its climate change targets, the greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector must be reduced. One way to do that is to try and replace journeys by car and delivery vans with journeys by e-assisted transport. But the UK has been slow to adopt these new methods of transport when you look at other European countries. We want to identify people’s attitudes to e-assisted technology and their potential for reducing carbon emissions.”
To find out more about the
If you live in BN1 or BN3 postcode areas .
Discover more about the research undertaken through the 爱豆传媒's research Centre for Digital Cultures and Innovation.
Project staff with e-bikes and e-cargo-bikes outside the Brighton e-bike shop Elctrc. Left to right: Dr Mary Darking, Jake Rowe (Elctrc), Dr Mark Erickson, Dr Nicholas Marks, Professor Lesley Murray.
Family making use of an e-cargobike's capacity for carrying passengers and luggage. Image courtesy of Elctrc electric bikes, Brighton.
An e-bike with double passenger seats stored in a street-side storage rack.