Hertsmere Borough Council and Beryl are celebrating three successful years so far for their bike and e-bike share scheme in Borehamwood and Bushey, which has had a positive impact on air quality and congestion levels, as well as improving people’s mental and physical health.
Since launching on 20 October 2022, the scheme has generated more than 40,000 sustainable journeys across nearly 83,190km – travelling almost twice the distance once around the world!
This has helped the local area avoid over three tonnes of harmful carbon emissions and led to over 10,000 hours of exercise for people. Feedback shows that the bikes and e-bikes in Hertsmere are a popular way to connect with other public transport services.
Councillor Nik Oakley, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, Infrastructure and Transport, said: "The cycle hire scheme in Borehamwood and Bushey has been thoroughly beneficial, and the fact that over 80,000km across more than 40,000 journeys have been covered so far is testament to that.
"The scheme means that there is a sustainable and healthy way for our residents, those who work in the area and visitors to get around Borehamwood and Bushey, without having to rely on a car or other vehicle."
Councillor Paul Richards, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero and Public Health, said: "It is wonderful to see that so many people have been using the cycle hire scheme in Borehamwood and Bushey since its launch. The benefits to the health and wellbeing of our residents, with traffic and air pollution both reduced, are clear.
"The scheme is an incredibly valuable part of our ongoing plans to create a more sustainable borough and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has removed over three tonnes of CO2 emissions already.”
The scheme currently offers 45 bikes and 40 e-bikes, available to rent from 32 Beryl bays across Borehamwood and Bushey. These bays have been located as conveniently as possible following consultation with communities and key stakeholders. This means that 28,089 people are no more than a five-minute walk from a bay, which represents 87.5% of the service area's population.
Operated by Beryl on behalf of the council, the scheme is funded by Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money and Section 106 contributions from new development.
Users can pay for their journeys in a variety of ways to suit their individual needs and circumstances:
- Pay As You Ride is best for single journeys or occasional rides and will cost users £1 unlocking fee and 5p per minute on pedal bikes or £1.50 unlocking fee and 14p per minute on e-bikes;
- Minute Bundles enable regular users to buy upfront and save money, starting at 100 minutes for £5;
- Day Passes are suitable for people on long days out and offer people unlimited riding over a 24-hour-period for £12 for pedal bikes only or £16 to include e-bikes.
The Beryl app is available for free download on the App Store and the Google Play Store.
For more information, visit beryl.cc/hertsmere and beryl.cc/scheme/watford