Electric bike scheme charges ahead
A new electric bike station has opened in Bannockburn as part of the UK’s first crossregional electric bike sharing scheme.
The facility, located on New Road in the village, is one of four new hire points to open this month in the £500,000 Forth Bike project.
Launched by charity Forth Environment Link last June, the e-bike initiative is the largest of its kind in Scotland and connects the three local authorities in the Forth Valley area.
The other Forth Valley stations are Tillicoultry Devon Way (Elistoun Drive), High Street, Falkirk, and King Street, Stenhousemuir.
Stirling Council is working in partnership with Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Councils and NHS Forth Valley to support the project as part of its drive to be a leader in sustainable transport. SESTRAN and Transport Scotland are also backing the scheme.
Stirling Council environment and housing committee convener, councillor Jim Thomson, said:“It’s fantastic to see the installation of another e-bike station in Stirling as this exciting project continues to rollout across the Forth Valley area.
“This transformative initiative is part of our ongoing investment in green charging travel infrastructure which will deliver a range of health and environmental benefits for residents and visitors.”
Phase one of Forth Bike will see 120 fully electric bikes made available across 12 key locations in Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire. They can be hired and dropped off at any of the 12 stations, not only the one where the cyclist begins the hire.
An annual pass for Forth Bike, which uses the latest electric bikes by Canadian firm BewegenTechnologies Inc, costs just £65/year for unlimited journeys or £2 for a single journey – offering low cost access to high tech e-bikes across the region from as little as 18p a day. For further information on the e-bike scheme call into Stirling or Falkirk Active Travel Hubs or visit www.forthbike.co.uk