{"id":11975,"date":"2022-09-10T19:04:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T18:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=11975"},"modified":"2022-11-30T11:47:32","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T11:47:32","slug":"theres-a-sea-change-coming-cycling-campaigners-betting-on-new-biking-technologies-to-get-people-out-of-their-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/theres-a-sea-change-coming-cycling-campaigners-betting-on-new-biking-technologies-to-get-people-out-of-their-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"“There’s a sea-change coming”: Cycling campaigners betting on new biking technologies to get people out of their cars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With a revolution in cycling technologies underway to replace cars, how are cyclists and active travel campaigners advocating for these new rides\u2019 place in modern transport?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until Covid that Sarah Berry started cycling regularly, spurred by the low-traffic neighbourhoods in Railton, a flat area in south London where she used to live until 2020. But when she moved to Tulse Hill last year, what used to be a quick 10-minute trip started feeling like a treacherous task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes you want your commute to be a workout and that\u2019s nice. You can combine exercise and travel,\u201d she says. \u201cBut sometimes you just want to get where you\u2019re going and not be sweating.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was until she had the chance of trying out e-bikes. \u201cIt\u2019s been a game-changer. It felt like what I used to imagine cycling would be in my childhood,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was like flying, as if I had incredible strength. A 10-15 mile trip would\u2019ve earlier left me tired, now I won\u2019t bat an eyelid with an e-bike, it\u2019s a breeze.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pedalling up steep hills is far from the list of enjoyable things for a cyclist, but living in a hilly region, as Sarah discovered, turned out to be even more of a challenge. It all changed with the arrival of Meredith (the name she chose for her electric bike), making her a part of the 50,000 other people who bought an e-bike last year. In fact, marketing intelligence agency Mintel found <\/a>that one in every seven regular cyclists now owns an e-bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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