The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is proud to join California’s statewide bicycle advocacy group CalBike in supporting the E-Bike Affordability Bill, AB 117.
According to CalBike, AB 117 would create a statewide program offering rebates for people who buy e-bikes. As currently written, it would use $10 million from cap-and-trade (the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund) for the Electric Bicycle Rebate Pilot Project under the Clean Vehicle Rebate program at the Air Resources Board.
Six reasons why CalBike is supporting AB 117:
- California’s current strategies are not working to reduce greenhouse gases in the transportation sector. We need to do something different. A large increase in e-bike use could replace enough car trips to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
- The price of an electric bike is out of reach for many Californians. The purchase incentives in AB 117 will give people who couldn’t otherwise afford an e-bike the financial support they need.
- E-bikes cost pennies to charge. They are one of the most efficient, convenient, and cheap to operate forms of transportation. E-bikes will save families money.
- E-bikes allow people who couldn’t otherwise ride to get out on a bike. An electric motor lets you carry heavy loads and passengers you might not be able to manage under your own power.
- E-bikes help people become healthier and happier. Bike riding reduces health care costs, improves air quality, and provides excellent exercise. E-bikes replace smog-spewing car trips and allow more people to realize the health benefits of bikes.
- E-bikes give people who live in public transit deserts an affordable alternative to costly car dependency.
Tell your assembly member to vote yes on AB 117!
To start, type in your address to find your local assembly member. San Diego County has several Assembly Districts, so use CalBike’s tool to find your local representative. As of 2021, San Diego’s assembly members are:
Assembly District 71: Randy Voepel, (R) Santee
Assembly District 75: Marie Waldron, (R) Escondido
Assembly District 76: Tasha Boerner Horvath, (D) Encinitas
Assembly District 77: Brian Maienschein, (D) San Diego
Assembly District 78: Chris Ward, (D) San Diego
Assembly District 79: Akilah Weber, (D) La Mesa
Assembly District 80: Lorena Gonzalez, (D) San Diego
