Elcykling – attityder hos användare och anpassning i samhällsplaneringen

Abstract: In several other European countries, the number of electric bikes (pedelecs) has increased significantly in recent years. A similar increase is also expected in Sweden. So far the knowledge of the attitudes of people using electric bikes in Sweden are limited. This study consists of interviews with 39 persons from all around Sweden to get a better understanding of why they have chosen to ride an electric bicycle and what they think could be done to get more people to do the same. In addition, a web survey was made with 41 local municipalities to see how prepared they are for the increase in electric bicycles. The results of the interviews suggests that those who may initially take the lead and make electric biking more popular, is people who love cycling. They often mentioned how fun they thought it was to ride an electric bicycle. They appreciated that it was a quick and convenient way of transport, at the same time as it was good for their health and the environment. A crucial prerequisite for many who were cycling an electric bike was continuous cycle paths without bumps and tight corners, as well as cycle paths separated from slower cyclists and pedestrians. In lack of that, several in the study chose to bicycle on the street instead. Better parking facilities were also mentioned as important, especially bicycle racks where the bicycle frame could be locked. In the web survey with the local municipalities, it was also apparent that they had high ambitions to improve the infrastructure for bicycles, but it could not be read out how far the work had come. Approximately half of the municipalities in the study had had campaigns to increase electric biking. The conclusion of the study is that a combination of efforts is required to achieve a greater use of electric bicycles, and that the most important thing is to improve the bicycle network. A solution proposed in this paper is an extension of the shoulder of the roads to create defined cycle lanes.