On yer bikes! City hire spots now revealed
SCHEME READY TO START ON MONDAY
A LIST of 25 locations where cyclists can pick up a new hire bike in Coventry has been released.
The West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme launches in the city on Monday and is hoped to encourage greener travel and help people become more active.
Transport for West Midlands – part of the West Midlands Combined Authority – is leading the project and has now released a full list of locations you can grab a bike.
Most, but not all, will be available from Monday, with others added throughout the week.
The locations include: Pool Meadow Bus Station, Sandy Lane, Queen Victoria/rover Road (market), Butts Road, Moseley Ave, Bishop Street Car Park, Trinity St / Ironmonger row, Parkside / Coventry University South, Gosford St Nr Car Park, Gosford Gate, St Nicholas St, Millennium Place / Hales St, Upper Spon St, Hearsall Common, Hill Street, Coventry Park & Ride, Daventry Road, Mile Lane, Belgrade Square, Earl St, Warwick Row / Grey Friars Green, Binley Road, New Union Buildings / New Union St, Friargate - Bridge Deck, Coventry College.
The bikes can only be hired for essential journeys and daily exercise, but as restrictions start to ease they will also be available for other trips.
To hire, users need to download the ‘Beryl Cycle Hire’ app. Later this year, they will also be available via the new ‘Swift’ app.
Bikes will cost £1 to unlock and 5p per minute after that, meaning a 20-minute cycle ride will cost £2 and £4 for an hour.
People pay for their ride by linking their account to their debit or credit card.
However the scheme is also offering the first 30 minutes free for anyone who signs up via the app.
The pedal cycles have three gears to cope with hilly roads and are fitted with high quality laser safety lights.
Once finished with the bike, people will need to find their nearest docking station to park up, closing the lock to end your ride.
Transport for West Midlands has launched the cycle hire scheme in
Wolverhampton and Sutton Coldfield already.
Solihull, Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall and Stourbridge will also see bikes made available, however Coventry will be the third area joining the scheme on Monday.
Although there will be 25 docking stations in Coventry, new locations could be added in the city as the scheme expands.
In all, there will be 170 fixed docking stations and 1,500 bikes when it is fully rolled out in the region – 150 of which will be e-bikes.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Coventry is the third location to get our West Midlands Cycle Hire bikes on the street, and I am sure they will prove very popular across the city as coronavirus restrictions continue to ease.”