The Oil Drum

I think electric bicycles have a great future.

Take a typical push-bike and modify it with an electric motor and a small battery pack and you have a vehicle which could get millions of people through their daily commute for an order of magnitude (or two) less than they currently need.

Suddenly you have a vehicle that's pretty frugal in the use of resources required to manufacture it, doesn't require any particular level of fitness and is ready to plug into the electricity grid. I can also imagine manufacturer's addding little 'bubble' cages around them soon, to provide weather protection so that the list of reasons not to 'cycle to work' reduces even further.

Crain's New York Business is running (behind a paywall) an entry in its "Insider" column that reminds us that Mayor Bloomberg's energy task force hasn't said much lately.

the mayor's special task force on energy policy has not issued a progress report in more than a year. Formed in July 2003, a month before the city's massive blackout, the task force is supposed to look for ways to boost New York's electricity supply by 23% by 2008.

Um, did they say increase our electricity supply? No wonder they haven't come up with anything. As a group of people who are concerned about our planet's energy future, I think we should list some ways that this might be possible.

Yesterday I went to Transportation Alternatives (TA) Rally for a Car-Free Central Park. The rally was to celebrate the 100,000 signatures that volunteers for a Car-Free Central. I saw Aaron from Starts and Fits and George Haikalis, from Auto-Free NY.

Despite chilly weather, the threat of rain and an early start (4:45pm) there were over 200 people at the rally, including the Democratic nominee for Borough President Scott Stringer. He came out in full support of not only a car-free Central Park all year round, but said that "we need to completely re-think how the city helps move people to and through the city".