Bike share scheme set to expand
Brighton & Hove’s shared bikes scheme is set to expand, with 120 new bikes and more hubs installed in the west of the city.
New hubs will be created in Preston Street, Connaught Road, New Church Road/Pembroke Gardens and Portland Road. A further two sites are planned for New Church Road/Boundary Road and Portland Road outside St Peter’s Church, plus three more at locations yet to be chosen.
BTN BikeShare, operated by Hourbike, began in September last year with 450 bikes available across 51 hubs.
Since then more than 35,000 subscribers have signed up to the scheme, with 213,000 rentals recorded to the end of May. Together the bike share cyclists have ridden more than 400,000 miles around the city.
The Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, which part-funded start-up costs along with the council, agreed to the purchase of an additional 120 bikes to enable the scheme to expand west to Boundary Road.
Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the city’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “Bike share is proving more and more popular as a way of getting from A to B quickly and easily. Residents living in the west of the city have been asking the council when they will get hubs in their area, so we’re delighted to be able to expand the scheme and encourage even more people to cycle for their journeys around the city.”
The additional bikes will be funded from money that is still available from the initial start-up costs.
Both the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex have made financial contributions that will see more bikes and hubs on university campuses.
Tim Caswell, MD of Hourbike, the company operating the scheme, added: “We’re thrilled to be expanding BTN BikeShare deeper into West Hove. Thanks to the ongoing support from Brighton & Hove City Council we will have an additional 120 bikes in circulation, allowing us to service even more residents, commuters and visitors without impacting the availability of the bikes elsewhere in the city.”
All the chosen locations were assessed for their convenience to users.
Further expansion has also not been ruled out and the option to expand further north and east of the city will be explored.
An update report will be presented to councillors at the environment, transport and sustainability committee next Tuesday, 26 June.
Read the committee report (the Brighton bike share expansion is agenda item no. 10)
About BTN BikeShare in association with Life Natural Spring Water and co-sponsored by AMEX
BTN BikeShare, in association with Life Natural Spring Water, is an award-winning Brighton & Hove City Council scheme majority funded through Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and launched on 1 September 2017. BTN BikeShare is operated by HourBike Ltd.
Infrastructure and start-up costs for the scheme are £1.45m. An award of £1.16m was granted by the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership with match funding of £290,000 from Brighton & Hove City Council.