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I agree with Dave Tickle that mini light rail systems are not practical etc and would suggest a better idea is to provide a sustainable means of accessing fixed rail systems and express bus routes which are beyond convenient walking distance in our capital cities.

I recently made submission to Productivity Commission
Inquiry into energy Efficiency and one of my
recommendations for greater car fleet and transport system
efficiency is as follows.

The potential for modal substitution and more energy efficient vehicles
2004 to 2014.

The ABS Census data for commuting and other transport data reveal that
the energy wasteful use of the Australian car fleet is likely to
continue to 2011, unless the potential for modal substitution to
conserve energy and more energy efficient vehicles are introduced
between 2004 to 2014. (Parker 2004 B)

Power assisted bicycles (petrol and electric battery powered) are
available on in Japan the EU, the USA and Canada. Unfortunately, the
safest electric bicycles cannot be purchased in Australia because of
road rules that result in restriction of free trade by preventing
Australians from buying the safest electric power assisted bicycles
(Parker 2004 A). Even so there is scope for using power assisted
bicycles to substitute for many short single occupant car trips of less
than 10 km and they would use between one twentieth and one sixtieth of
the fuel used by cars per km. In 2004 the combined production of
electric power assisted bicycles in China, Japan and Taiwan is expected
to reach four million and many of these will be sold in Japan the EU,
the USA and Canada. Power assisted bicycles both have great potential
as access modes to public transport in low density areas of Australia's
capital cities

The latest electric power assisted bicycles weigh only a few kilograms
more than bicycles which give power assistance only from on-board
rechargeable batteries. They have electronically controlled power
assistance via sensors in the cranks linked to a computer chip. There
is no no clutch to worry about after switching the power assist system
on with a key like that of a car which then operates automatically on
starting, going uphill and combatting headwinds. Power cuts out at 24
km per hour so can be safely used on shared footways. For the able
bodied in the hilly suburbs of cities they are a practical substitute
for many urban car trips of less than 10 km. and extend the range of
bicycles. On main road bike lanes they would significantly increase
bikelane usage and make them safer as a consequence.(Parker 2004 A)

The use of electric power assisted bicycles, coupled with roof mounted
solar electric panels for recharging, has been proven to be practical
in Japan. The electric power assisted bicycles coupled with roof
mounted solar electric panels for recharging, is the most energy
efficient motorises road vehicle ever made. This applies to able bodied
people making urban trips of 10 km or for lame or partially disabled
people or elderly people make trips of less than 5 km.

As a sustainable product design initiative it is suggested
that there is an opportunity to provide imported or
assembled power assisted bicycles in new housing schemes
using using batteries recharged from Australian made roof
mounted solar cells.(Parker 2004 A) (Rose 2004). Ethanol
can also used to fuel power assisted bicycles that would
use less than one litre per 100 km. and in some rural areas
for cars and LCVs. Ethanol is not a solution for urban fuel
supplies except for blending with petrol as a pollution
reduction measure. However, it will be necessary to change
the existing legislation for electric bicycles by lifting
maximum power output from 200 to 250 watts for able bodied
people and for electric bicycles with a power output of 500
watts to be available to the elderly, the lame and those
who are partially disabled with arthritis.

Mitra Ardron:

Alan's advocacy of electric bikes as a highly appropriate transport mechanism, especially in cities, is excellent. His comment is also important that the newer bikes have progressed a long way from the initial entries in this field, and the better ones allow motor and pedals to both provide energy, unlike some of the "toy" bikes, that are electric only, and have less range and less speed than even a moderately fit human-powered bike.

However I would like to suggest that he doesn't go far enough in his suggestions. Even 250 watts is pretty anaemic for a transportation device, especially if their are hills involved, and the range needs to be higher to enable people to get to AND back from their destination. While in San Francisco last month investigating sustainable technologies appropriate to an Australian market, I was a using a bike with a 750kw motor, which is fully legal in the US. These bikes have a top speed of 31km, and a range of 24km (note that larger range involves carrying more batteries, which means more power is needed to carry the batteries). In practice the speed and range is greatly reduced on hills, even at 750kw. I found that a bike with these kinds of speeds allowed roughly comparable travel times in compact cities to the use of a car, as time was saved catching up at lights, and with parking.

The safety concerns about higher powered bikes sharing footpaths are I believe valid, but misplaced. In practice it is easy to use even a human-powered bike in dangerous ways, and easy to use a powered bike safely. To simplify it - if you are driving at 30km/hr you should be on the road, not the path, while the path becomes an alternative at slower speeds.

I think it important that if there is lobbying to raise the power limit it should be to a level which makes these bikes attractive to a much wider audience, travelling greater distances and therefore needing greater speeds, 750km is a minimum, with 1kw being perfectly practical and safe as well.

Alan Parker:

Hi all,
I agree with Mitra that in the hilly suburbs of Sydney and Brisbane 250 watts in not much of a boost for electric power assisted bicycles ( E-PABs) although it is adequate in the flat areas of cities if you are able bodied. In my email I did not want advocate the 750 watt new US regulation because of the known opposition by the road Authorities in Australia and stuff up made in the drafting of Australian road rules a few years ago. So I settled on the 250 watts which is now law in within the EU and Japan. The other problem with 750 watts without a performance and safety based standard it would allow Segways to mow down pedestrians at 20 km per hour on shared footways. I know some freeway freaks who want to legalize Segways in Australia.

The influence of Austroads which recommended a simplistic 200 watt limit which excludes state of the art E-PABS (a mere 10 to 45 watts above the limit) has been negative. Indeed it has has allowed dangerous scooters to be legally classified as bicycles with up to 1000 watts in excess power output. Some scooters now used on Australian roads have dirty two stroke engines (1,200 watt) bur fitted are fitted with easily removable 200 watt speed limiters that salesmen show buyers how to remove. They are potentially dangerous on roads (Paine, M 2001) and pollute the shared footways used by cyclists and pedestrians. The Australian Transport Council (ATC) which is responsible for introducing amendments to the Australian Road Rules (1999) and has been conducting a review of the Safety of, and Associated Rule for, Scooters and Other Wheeled Recreational Devices since 2000, it had still not decided what to do in November 2004

In a submission I made early this year to the NZ parliament I stated the following.

" Extract from SUBMISSION BY ALAN PARKER.
What is needed is a proper performance based standard as adopted by the EU, Japan. and Canada (Rose and Cock 2003). To copy the simplistic 200 watt rule would ignore world best practice, be a denial of N.Z. consumers right to choose the safest and best products available; it would also be an unwarranted restriction on free trade. As a minimum requirement it would be prudent for New Zealand to bring their regulations into line with the new EU regulations so that consumers have the choice of buying safe “state of the art” E-PABs with a power output of up to 250 watts. Feedback from the Australian bicycle industry suggests that E-PAB users are predominantly males aged over 50 years. It is likely that these older riders will represent a growing market particularly as mobility issues for older drivers are magnified with the ageing population. Initial research conducted at Monash University has confirmed that E-PAB’s can provide health benefits to them (Rose and Cock 2003).

However in NZ there are compelling reasons for adopting the Canadian Legislation that allows a maximum power out put of 500 watts ( Auckland, like Sydney and Brisbane is very hilly):

1. Urban densities are far lower than in Europe with many day-to-day destinations being further apart and far fewer of them within convenient walking distance. However, many are within easy cycling distance except when there are lots of hills. In the hilly parts of Auckland and Wellington the more powerful 500 W limit would enable people of all ages to cycle much more than they do now. It would enable them to be more active as part of their daily life, increase their mobility, reduce isolation and improve health.

2. An important safety consideration is having enough power assistance to ride up hills without weaving and to reduce the speed differential with motor vehicles. The 200 watt E-PAB is underpowered for N.Z. elderly males, who are much heavier than the elderly females who make up the majority of Japanese users. Even a 250 watt E-PAB would rapidly run down batteries on the hills of Auckland and Wellington.

3. There is a stated government interest in providing more extensive bikeway networks in the N.Z. Transport Strategy, (NZTS 2003) and the promotion of E-PAB’s and E-Bikes as part of Travel Smart programs (EECA, 2003 A). The more powerful E-Bikes with a 500W limit would be an attractive alternative for many of those “drive alone commuters” who create the most congestion and air pollution

4. Many people are limited in where they can go because walking is painful. For example riding a bicycle, E-PAB or E-bike can be less painful than walking for people with osteo-arthritis in the hips, knees or ankles. This is so because the saddle and not the legs carry the body weight (Parker 1992 B). Today around 2.6 million Australians and around 520,000 New Zealanders are afflicted with some form of arthritis. There are also 3.2 million Australians and around 650 New Zealanders with vertebral disk problems or unspecified back trouble for some of whom using an E-bike would be helpful (figure 5).

5. The N.Z. EECA could create marketing incentives for imported E-PABs and E-Bikes to be sold as part of a package, complete with a PV 24 Volt or 36 Volt DC battery charging system coupled to solar panels. The efficiency of the total package in substituting for car trips would justify the higher kW hour cost of solar PV because only a small area of solar panels is required with a low installation cost. The development of domestic solar power systems for DC powered appliances (as well as for recharging the E-PAB DC batteries) within ten years is feasible in both urban and rural areas. There is no necessity to connect these appliances to the AC grid; this will reduce the demand on it and reduce the need to use more gas or coal powered generators.

E-Bikes with a power output of up to 500 watts should be available to those with medical conditions that limit walking without the need for registration, number plates with a light to illuminate them at night, a motorcycle helmet and a driver license. At the very least it would be prudent to make the LSTA regulations in line with the new EU regulations on E-PABs.
Also the LSTA website document “Disabilities and driving in N.Z” which recognizes the need to provide vehicle modifications specifically for the disabled, and needs to be revised and should state the following:

E-Bikes with a power output of up to 500 watts should be available to those with medical conditions that limit walking without needing registration, number plates with a light to illuminate them at night, a motorcycle helmet and a driver license.

The assertion that 250 watts is not enough power for those wishing to use an E-PAB safely and without too much effort on the hills of N.Z. cities is disputed by some transport professionals. The can be proven to be mistaken by the LSTA commissioning a consultant or state bicycle group to study and test an E-Bike with a 400-watt power output and a quality Japanese made E-PAB to compare their capability for safely riding up hills in an urban environment by elderly male and female test riders, one of whom should have osteo-arthritis of the hip that restricts walking.

The models which are recommended for testing, are based on what was commercially available in the 2002/3 financial year and are the “Lafree” E-Bike made by Giant weighing 29 kg with 400-watt power output and two Japanes E-PABs that weigh around 20 kg; the Panasonic “ViVi” and the Yamaha “PAS Super Light U”. (designed for women wearing skirts). However, this is a rapidly evolving market and there are sure to be some new models introduced in 2004 that are worthy of testing.

The author’s purpose is not to recommend specific models as such but to recommend these models as representing three classes of machine that need to be selected from the best available on the world market next year, or whenever tests take place."

I think the above makes my position clear.

Thank you Mitre for your comments on the 750 power requirement .
For the lame and disabled this level of output may be necessary.