DERRY City and Strabane District Council are exploring the possibility of a public bike share scheme for the city and region.
Similar schemes, such as London’s ‘Boris Bikes’ introduced by then Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2010, have been rolled out in many cities across the island of Ireland and the UK.
The schemes are run as a service where bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a very short term basis, allowing people to borrow and return the vehicles from various stations in the area.
The consultation will run until December 11th and includes an online survey to judge the public demand for the service and examine a range of options including conventional bikes, electric bikes and satellite stations outside the city centre and in Donegal and Strabane.
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Hilary McClintock, welcomed this first stage in the process of gauging the feasibility of the project.
“Council have been at the forefront of promoting cycling in our region and this scheme has the potential to grow it even further,” she said.
“We have already successfully implemented the Cycle to Work and Elephant Bikes schemes to encourage Council employees to use bicycles to travel to and from work and between meetings.
“This scheme could encourage more people to gain from the health and wellbeing benefits of cycling and also attract more visitors and tourists to come and discover our region by bicycle.”
Derry based infrastructure specialists Aecom and the sustainable transport charity Sustrans are conducting the research on behalf of Council where they will be consulting with stakeholders and the wider public to determine their opinions about the scheme.
Sustrans Area Manager, Ross McGill, said such schemes have proven particularly popular with the public in other parts of Ireland.
“Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork already have schemes in place that have proven successful, serving a wide variety of users including residents, commuters, visitors and tourists,” he said.
“In many cities bike share helps solve the ‘first and last mile’ connectivity issues with people’s journeys.
“The Council has done well over recent years in developing several kilometres of traffic-free paths and greenways around the city and region.
“A bike share scheme may not only complement the existing network but also help inform and advance the development of new routes in the future.”
The public can take part in the online survey to gauge the interest and feasibility of the study at www.derrystrabane.com/greenways.
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