Borrowdale

• Instead of driving back to my accommodation, I travelled 40km through the Lake District on an e-bike and I was surprised by how easy it was, even after a physically demanding day.
• Most of the Lake District National Park’s 18 million annual visitors travel by car.
• But e-bikes could transform the way people experience rural areas like this, and reduce the negative environmental effects of tourism on rural areas.

To the hills

• These survey respondents included residents and visitors, e-bike owners and those who didn’t use e-bikes.
• So much transport research regards hills and rain as barriers to active travel.
• Another family found it really easy to get up the hills, even with children tagging along behind the bikes.
• Our recommendation is that planners try to think differently about hills and weather as they need not be a barrier to active travel.

Harnessing e-pedal power

• E-bikes may give more flexibility where public transport is poor and our respondents commented on poor public transport serving relatively few places.
• With e-bikes being expensive, there was a strong desire among respondents for more secure e-bike storage in Lakeland towns and villages.
• Accommodation and hospitality providers could offer more secure storage or parking and other facilities such as battery recharging.

Quieter valleys

• Our research showed strong support for restricting tourist cars in popular valleys such as Borrowdale and Langdale.
• Providing e-bikes alongside public transport and also restricting car access to some valleys could help rural areas become more sustainable, in the Lake District and beyond.

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Ian Philips received funding from UKRI grants.