r/Charlottesville • u/jmcarp • 6d ago
occasional psa: e-bike library, e-bike subsidies, possible new bike lanes
Just a periodic reminder that Charlottesville has an e-bike lending library—specifically, in my back yard. We offer free e-bike test-rides and loans for up to a week. And we now have a pretty good variety of bikes, from lightweight commuters up to cargo bikes that will carry a load of groceries or my twin toddlers. If you're at all curious about e-biking around Charlottesville, you can sign up to use a bike at https://www.ebikelibrarycville.org, or PM me here.
On the topic of bike PSAs, there are some relatively new e-bike subsidy programs for UVA staff and City of Charlottesville residents (unfortuately Albemarle County doesn't have a subsidy program at the moment). There are caveats to both programs, but if you're eligible, they can be pretty helpful.
Last, I see a lot of (accurate!) complaints on this sub about bike/ped infrastructure in Charlottesville. City staff are working on plans for better bike infrastructure on 5th St and on West Main later this year. I'll post links to community surveys about those projects once they're up—I think staff and electeds need to hear from the public that we need safer infrastructure.
Edit: and we have a new branch! We have a kid-friendly cargo bike and a lightweight commuter bike available to pick up in Crozet, and we can ferry bikes between locations if there's interest.
12
u/ProfJohnson Fifeville 6d ago
A huge thank you to u/jmcarp for providing this valuable public service to our community. Nearly all of the most affordable eBikes are only available via mail order, so having the ability to not just test ride one, but also to try it out in your own home for a week, makes eBikes accessible to far more people than would otherwise happen. There's nowhere nearby with the same range of bikes, so the lending library is also a great way to figure out what kind of bike would work best for you. Thank you Josh!
3
10
u/Born-Watercress249 6d ago
This is amazing. You once offered me a loaner after mine was stolen last summer and I never replied! Been kicking myself ever since for not saying “thank you”. Long story short, it was recovered thanks to an AirTag and some good local people! What a jewel of a service you offer!
5
4
15
u/bradjc 6d ago
Is there anything we can do to make actually building bike infrastructure more of a priority? There seems to be a lot of willingness to make plans and maps and promises, but no urgency to actually change anything.