Above is a new video, in which we interview two UCSC faculty, each of whom commutes to campus using an electric bicycle.

It forms part of our effort to reduce the number of those who might ordinarily commute to campus using private automobiles—therefore enabling “Zero New Traffic” as the campus population increases. It's a 12-minute video, with loads of useful information for anyone thinking of exploring a new way of getting around. It's best viewed in the fullscreen mode. Click on the image to watch the video. The first 15 seconds are silent.

The recently introduced “JUMP” bikes, which can be rented for $30 per month, provide a possible alternative for use in commuting. However, they may not be as reliable as they might be once they are better established. There are not yet enough of them, so they can be harder to find, and there are not yet EV charging stations, which would be important and helpful. Also it would seem that a smart phone would be required to aid in the rental process. We shall see.

I apologize for the technical quality of this video. It has, at some points, significant wind noise. This was my first attempt. I used my small Panasonic “Lumix” camera, hand-held. However, I neglected to put cotton or gauze over the camera's microphones to reduce the wind noise. If our video display does not work for you, try clicking on this link to watch the video on “Vimeo”.

– Peter

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