Electric Meg charges ahead with e-bike education

This story first appeared in the June issue of EVtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

Electric Meg, aka Megan Page, loves promoting electric bikes – particularly for replacing commuter’s cars and as a fleet option.

Her business, “electricmeg”, lists her as an e-bike consultant, assisting with training or “workplace cycling enablement” and events, including consulting on health and safety e-bike policy.

Page is a qualified assessor and trainer, travelling the country to assist companies and organisations and getting more of their staff safely onto e-bikes. She’s assessed and trained more than 2500 people.

That includes cycling projects such as Auckland Transport’s adult cycle education programmes, Nextbike NZ, Bigfoot in schools Cycle Safety, NZ Transport Agency “Share the Road” workshops and school “Education Outside the Classroom” programmes.

The electric buzz runs in her family. Husband Barry Page, aka “Electric Bazza”, does e-bike reviews.

Their two boys are into cycling as well, so they can have up to 16 bikes at home, and all enjoy mountain biking.

How did the Pages get into e-bikes?

Megan rode bikes from an early age in South Africa and, with Barry, did mountain biking there.

After visiting a family member in New Zealand, the Pages moved here in 1995. Barry was involved in IT and Megan ran her own recruitment consultancy. She saw an Auckland Transport (AT) advertisement about a cycling programme in 2010 and became involved, later moving into contract work for various cycling related organisations.

Her work was recognised with an AT Travelwise Supreme Award in 2017 in conjunction with Datacom. She was a finalist in two categories in the NZTA’s national Bike To The Future Awards 2017.

Page specialises in e-bikes because she says they’re suitable for a wide range of people and especially good for daily commutes.

“E-bikes expand your playground. You can travel further because you don’t get as tired as you would on a push bike, and you can enjoy the ride more. You connect with your environment and with the people you meet along the way.

“I’m having a dream ride,” she says of her full-time consultancy and operational instructing work within the cycling industry.

Page says a sense of humour is important.

“It’s about people,” she says. “I’m not a professional cyclist and I don’t look like a super cyclist.

“People look at me and think ‘if she can do it then so can I’.”

Page says e-bikes bring more freedom of travel to many, especially in getting to and from work or around other urban places. Fleet e-bikes are reducing companies’ staff travel times for getting about the inner city to meetings and site visits, also cutting short travel taxi and parking expenses. There’s environmental benefits too.

E-bike riders don’t have to be super fit, obtaining a degree of fitness through pedal assist features.

Riders still need to pedal, but Page says an e-bike flattens the hills and makes it easier for people to get around. “You can travel on an e-bike in your normal work wear and you don’t arrive a hot sweaty mess.”

Her aim is to get people out of vehicles and into more sustainable transport modes.
“That can be for a number of reasons, which include helping the planet and your health.”
She says some people who last rode as kids or who are new to riding are getting e-bikes as it’s an easy entry into cycling.

These riders need to brush up their skills so they can have a better knowledge of what safe cycling entails.

Riding rules still apply. E-bike riders need to be aware of the traffic around them – motorists and others sometimes underestimate an e-bike’s speed. Riders need to stay safe and visible too.

“Choose safer routes which may not be the same as you would take in a car. If you have to ride on busy roads there are national guidelines.”

Learn cycling etiquette and use manners when sharing the road or pathway. “It only takes one or two riders to ruin it for others,” Page says.

If a rider feels unsafe they can become a pedestrian to cross a road safely – which you can’t do in a car, she says.

Auckland’s separation of cycle lanes from traffic is a great idea, Page says, which should be replicated in other main centres, encouraging more people to commute on e-bikes.

“Electric bikes were traditionally viewed as a bit clunky and only used by those who weren’t ‘proper’ cyclists,” she says. “Now they’re sexy beasts, with a wider range available.
“Once people have tried an e-bike they’re hooked on it. It’s practical to use and also super fun.”

Page has an Onya e-bike, but she gets to ride different brands and models.
She says e-bikes are hugely popular, with purchasing demands increasing.

“We’re evolving,” she says. “And I’m pleased to be part of that change.”