"Denver’s wildly successful incentive program isn’t just helping residents buy greener rides — it’s building an army of bike lane advocates."

"So much for Mile High City. Denver residents are embracing a new moniker: E-bike City.

In April 2022, the city began offering residents $400 off a new electric bike or $900 off an e-cargo bike, with low-income residents eligible for an additional $800 discount. The program was a sensation: Over 4,700 Denverites snapped up a voucher in 2022, forcing overwhelmed city staff to pause the application process. The rebates’ value dropped in 2023, but the city’s newest batch of 860 vouchers, distributed in January, were still snapped up in about 20 minutes.

Mayor Michael Hancock took a victory lap in a press release last month that credited the new e-bikes for already replacing over 100,000 car miles: “This program showed there was a desire in our community for new, sustainable mobility options.”"

David Zipper reports for Bloomberg CityLab February 9, 2023. [2]