You are right. If you need to do school pickup every day or go on large shopping trips every day then a bike (of any type) is probably not for you. This article was not written for your circumstances.

However I respectfully suggest that your situation is the minority and this is not the daily requirement for every car on the road. An electric bike is therefore a real and viable alternative especially as a replacement for the 2nd car when it is being used for the majority of the time for single passenger transportation only.

Sure you have to put up with some cold and wet days (having lived in Switzerland myself, I’ve gotten very wet just getting from the train to the office, so no difference there). But on a bike, I get there quicker.

If you think ebike are a nice toy, the stats don’t support this. Just last year, sales of ebikes in Switzerland were up to 1 in 3 of every bike sold. https://www.bike-eu.com/market/nieuws/2019/06/swiss-e-mountainbike-sales-doubled-10135997

An electric bike may seem like a “middle class whim” but I’m sure many would see a 2 or even 3 car family about as middle class as it comes.

But if that’s what you feel you need for your circumstances, you do what’s right for you.

Transportation is becoming one of this century’s greatest dilemmas. With people now demanding maximum individual comfort and convenience (e.g. single passenger cars) v any sort of compromise (being outdoors in bad weather/public transport etc) we’ve already reached our citys’ natural infrastructure limits.

The luxury of single passenger car use will soon become a burden through long traffic delays and additional financial congestion charges.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.