Councillors yesterday (Wednesday 10 January) approved plans for the successful Beryl Bike scheme to be extended to Bushey.
This expansion of the cycle hire scheme will enable cycle travel between Bushey, Watford, Elstree and Borehamwood, and is one part of the council’s ambitious plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions no later than 2050.
It is proposed that Bushey would need five docking stations with 15 new e-bikes, however consultation will be carried out with local residents and businesses before launching in spring 2024.
The public hire scheme aims to encourage cycling to help promote active and sustainable travel, reduce transport related carbon emissions, improve air quality in Bushey, develop connectivity with surrounding areas, in addition to improving the health and well-being of residents.
Councillor Paul Richards, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero and Public Health, said: “I am delighted that we are able to move forward with a cycle hire scheme in Bushey, which will help us to achieve our ambitious plans for a more sustainable Hertsmere.
"The scheme has been really successful in Borehamwood and Elstree, generating almost 15,000 journeys across nearly 32,000 kilometres since launch, which has saved approximately 1.03 tonnes of carbon. Not only does the cycle hire scheme help us to make positive impacts on our environment, by reducing car traffic and air pollution, but also on the health and wellbeing of our local communities, by providing a healthy alternative to jumping in the car.
“The extended cycle hire scheme allows users to make quick, easy trips across Bushey and into neighbouring towns and villages – perfect for work, leisure or running errands."
Councillor Nik Oakley, Portfolio Holder for Planning Infrastructure and Transport, said: “In addition to the health and environmental benefits, this cycle scheme opens up the opportunities for our communities and will help support our local economy in Bushey and the surrounding areas.
"The delivery of this extended cycle hire scheme is important to the success of our transport network, as it will provide thousands of people in Bushey with an affordable, convenient, non-polluting transport option. Our aim is to ensure residents across the village can more easily move around the borough, so I'll be working with Beryl to ensure that the cycle stations are located at convenient points which help support our current transport links."
Beryl CEO and Co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “We want to encourage even more people to take up sustainable transport and expanding our services to serve new areas enables us to do this.
“By getting more people out of the car and onto two wheels, we can contribute towards getting more people active and improving public health as well as cutting congestion on the area’s roads and improving air quality.”
Recent research shows that car travel accounts for over 70 per cent of all journeys made and just 1.9 per cent of trips under three miles are made by cycling. The cycle hire scheme aims to change this trend in favour of active and sustainable transport.
Funding for the cycle hire scheme has all come from development contributions, secured through the section 106 contributions.
Beryl Bikes launched in Elstree and Borehamwood in October 2022 with 25 docking stations with 70 bikes available for hire. As of 9 January 2024, the scheme had generated 14,914 journeys with 1,581 unique users.
You can read the full executive report on our website: www.hertsmere.gov.uk or fund out about how the council is tackling climate change here: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/climatechange.
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Posted on Thursday 11th January 2024