17 Jul 18 | By pp-admin | Advocacy, Infrastructure, Pedal Power
Pedal Power ACT welcomes the announcement by the ACT Government of a six-month trial of a Canberra bike share scheme.
Pedal Power advocated for a bike share scheme, as we see it as having real potential to fill a gap in Canberra’s transport market by giving people a convenient active travel option for short to medium-length trips.
A bike opens up the possibilities for getting to places within a 5 km radius. With bike share people will be able to hop on a bike and travel quickly and easily between city locations, or to and from appointments. At a cost of only $1.30 for half an hour, it’s a highly cost-effective option.
With this model people will be able to ride across town and leave the bike at their destination without having to return it to its original location. This flexibility will really open up people’s transport options – for Canberrans going about their daily lives, as well as for visitors exploring our city.
The six-month trial will be limited to a zone including the city, parliamentary triangle, and ANU. We understand that the bikes will be geotagged so that data can be collected on how and where they are being used, and that this will be used to evaluate how bikeshare can be rolled out more broadly.
We are interested to see how a dockless scheme works in Canberra and hope the outcomes of the trail will be used to identify a model that best suits our city in the longer term. We understand that the ACT Government has put some thought into the model and to the checks and balances that might be needed to ensure the provider is responsible for making sure the bikes are returned to parking areas.
We are encouraged that the scheme will be run by a small local start-up company which we understand has had previous success with a trail at Sydney University.
Anything that encourages more people to cycle is good thing – it’s good for individual health, reduces congestion, and helps reduce emissions. Bike share really lifts the visibility of cycling as a normal way to get around our city,” said Mr Ross.
Image of AirBike provided by ACT Government.
Read about the Canberra bike share trial in the Canberra Times