Climate News 25:23
Last week, I wrote about how France appears to have a different car-bicycle interaction culture and particularly noted the prevalence of e-bikes and cargo bikes at a much higher rate than in Australia.
One potential approach to changing our domestic culture might be through experiments that allow people to try a new technology. New research from the UK examined the experience of households in traditional non-cycling areas as they trialled the use of e-cargo bikes over a month. Not only did the households make good use of the bikes, but a strong proportion went on to buy e-cargo bikes following completion of the trial. This is nothing new to Australian councils like Merri-bek and Port Phillip that have run similar lease schemes, though the shift to allowing residents to borrow an e-bike or e-cargo bike for two weeks from a library suggests that Merri-bek has considered the cost barrier of leasing and sought to overcome it. More broadly, the success of these interventions highlights the value of allowing people to trial a new technology before committing to buying it. Outside of transport, councils have also leased technologies like portable induction cooktops. Trials still require support from practitioners, including guidance on how to use the technology and creating opportunities for reflection on how it fits within their lives. The adoption of a new technology is rarely as simple as buying it and taking it home. Households need to consider any costs involved (including non-financial costs such as additional time required) and how the technology fits into the rhythms of everyday life. This is doubly true for trickier audiences, like small businesses. Trials are a great way for them to see how this might work.
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