Hundreds of cycles are being added to Leicester’s e-bike scheme, along with 30 new bike docks. The extra docks will be located in Braunstone, Saffron Lane, Spinney Hills and Belgrave, all three of Leicester’s hospitals, at the University of Leicester and at Space Park Leicester, close to the National Space Centre.
Other locations include De Montfort Hall, County Hall, Stephenson Drive, in New Parks; and Queens Road, in Clarendon Park. Scheme sponsor Santander UK will also host a docking station at its headquarters in Carlton Park, Narborough. Some of the locations are already live. Others are due to be ready by the end of April, and the final phase by the end of May. See below for a full list.
The move will see 330 additional cycles being added to the fleet. Since the lifting of lockdown restrictions in April last year, the e-bike share scheme has already been used by more than 19,000 people, with almost 47,500 trips made on the electric bikes, said a spokesperson for Leicester City Council. To use the scheme, users register online, buy a plan based on their needs and then use their smartphone to unlock an e-bike and start riding. Pay as you go, monthly and annual memberships are available.
READ MORE Leicester’s new public hire e-bike opened up to whole city as lockdown eases
Councillor Adam Clarke, deputy city mayor for environment and transport, said: “It’s fantastic that more than 19,000 people have tried out our e-bikes. It reinforces for us that Leicester is a cycling city, with easy bike journeys possible from the outskirts to the city centre in little more than half an hour.
“People have told us they are keen to see the scheme expand out into our neighbourhoods, with more options available for picking up and dropping off the bikes, so that’s exactly what we are doing. This expansion will mean we’ll have more than 50 docking stations available, with 500 e-bikes in use. It will make Santander Cycles Leicester the largest docked e-bike hire scheme in the UK.”
Santander Cycles Leicester is a £600,000 project funded by Leicester City Council through the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund. It is sponsored by Santander UK, with investment from Ride On, which operates the scheme on behalf of the city council.
Local organisations currently offering free annual membership deals to their staff include Santander UK, Leicester City Council, De Montfort University, Samworth Brothers, Leicestershire County Council, the University of Leicester and the University Hospitals of Leicester Trust (UHL). The scheme is also backed by BID Leicester, which has subsidised free rides at promotional events.
Coun Clarke added: “We’re facing a climate emergency and we have ambitious targets to meet to make our city carbon-neutral. That means we all need to think differently about how we travel. Investing in cycling schemes like this one – as well as the infrastructure that makes people feel safe to cycle – means we can reduce the city carbon’s emissions. It’s part of a travel solution for Leicester that prioritises ease and affordability for people, while cutting congestion and pollution, improving air quality and improving our own health and well-being.”
Dan Sherwood, of Santander UK, said: “It’s great to see the growing support for the Santander Cycles Leicester e-bike scheme, not just by residents but also by so many businesses and organisations within the city. The expansion of the scheme will provide many more opportunities for people to use the cycles, at a time when our travel choices have become a critical part of our efforts to reduce emissions and improve our environment.”
The expansion of the e-bike scheme is part of a package of work that focuses on sustainable transport improvements in Leicester, including the development of new routes whivh give priority to buses, more cycling and walking routes in the city and the introduction of electric buses onto Park and Ride services.
New e-bike docks that are already live
County Hall
Victoria Park – De Montfort Hall
Stephenson Drive
Foundry Square – Morningside Arena
Haymarket
Maynard Road
Great Central Street
New docks going live on April 20
Glenfield Hospital – South Entrance
Fullhurst Avenue – Merridale Health Centre
Almond Road
HMP Welford Road
Heyworth Road
Saffron Lane / Cavendish Road
Aylestone Recreation Ground
Braunstone Leisure Centre
Queens Road
The Brite Centre
Leicester University – main campus
New docks going live by the end of May
Space Centre
Charles Bennion Walk
Evington Place
Jarrom Street
Knighton Road
Leicester General Hospital
Thurcaston Road
Santander HQ / Carlton Park
Glenfield Road / Flora Street
Leicester University Space Park
Putney Road
