Location: Colchester, Essex (previously Conservative minority administration)
Purpose: Colchester Council introduced an e-bike and e-cargo hire scheme to offer residents a green, affordable, and convenient option to get around. As transport is a significant contributor to poor air quality and emissions, the scheme supports the council’s efforts to reach net zero and improve air quality. It hoped that residents and businesses would be encouraged to switch to using e-bikes and e-cargo bikes having trialled them and seen the benefits.
Description: Working with the voluntary group ‘New Town Bike Hub’, the council offers residents and businesses short-term hire options for e-bikes and e-cargo bikes. In addition to some bikes being provided to local organisations, including Colchester Hospital, there are three offerings from the scheme:
City centre pay-as-you-go: Residents can hire a range of bikes ranging from standard e-bikes, e-bikes with extra storage, and e-cargo bikes suited to carrying children, to e-cargo bikes for carrying shopping or bulky items. Residents either pay a per-hour fee or can hire the bike for the day for £10.
Short-term hire for residents: For £12 per week, residents can hire an e-cargo bike for between one weekend to one month or an e-bike if they do not need to carry children or heavy items.
Short-term hire for businesses: For £12 per week, businesses can hire a range of e-cargo bikes and trailers. These bikes have a longer range per charge and can carry between 150kg and 250kg.
The three schemes also include breakdown service, adult cycle training, and bike locks.
Funding: Residents have to pay a per-hour or per-day fee to hire the bikes. The Energy Saving Trust also provided the council with £136,000 of start-up funding in May 2020 to buy the bikes. The air quality grant from the government provided £248,700 to set up the pay-as-you-go electric cargo bike club amongst other behaviour change campaigns.
Further links: Local Government Association write-up, the New Town Bike Hub website, Colchester Council e-cargo bike library write-up, Colchester Council e-cargo bikes for residents write-up, Colchester Council e-cargo bikes for businesses write-up, and UK government air quality grants breakdown.
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