As an environmentally-conscious county, a lot of Marinites have electrified their transport. Here are a few things to celebrate, and be aware of, when it comes to going electric.
Marin County Tops EV usage
This past March, the Bay Area became the first major metro area to have EVs or hybrids comprise half of new car registrations, and (drumroll, please) Marin County took the top spot. Among all large U.S. counties, Marin netted 1,942 EV miles per 1,000 residents. The data, from mobility analytics platform Replica, is based on anonymized mobile device info, roadside sensors, transit agencies and more. The most EV activity was in areas with better-developed charging infrastructure and higher-income households. California closed applications last month for its Clean Vehicle Rebate Project — which offered residents up to $7,500 in rebates to purchase or lease new, eligible zero-emission vehicles — in order to prioritize subsidies of up to $12,000 for lower-income buyers. By 2035, the state’s Air Resources Board is mandating that 100% of new vehicles must be zero-emission.
E-Bike Woes
Marin County Public Health has issued a Public Health Advisory on e-bike safety and launched a public “Bicycle Safety” data dashboard that displays all 911 ambulance responses to bike accidents countywide. Conventional bike and e-bike accidents are shown separately, and charts include demographic characteristics of victims and accident locations. Of special concern are Class 2 e-bikes, which are heavier and more challenging to maneuver. Class 2 e-bikes can be propelled with a throttle and reach speeds of 20 mph and presently have no age restriction. Here are other takeaways.
- Between October 10 and November 10, 9 out of 41 (22%) 911 responses to bicycle accidents in Marin County were related to e-bikes.
- 5 out of 7 (71%) 911 responses for bike accidents among youth ages 10 to 19 years old were e-bike related, compared to 4 out 34 of (12%) among residents age 20 and older.
- In partnership with Assemblymember Damon Connolly, Supervisor Mary Sackett plans on having an amendment raising the age requirement to ride Class 2 e-bikes to 16 ready for a vote by the first of the year.
