Our cycle hire scheme is adding 42 new hire points across Edinburgh after receiving a £500,000 cash injection from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund.
Just Eat Cycles, which is run on behalf of Transport for Edinburgh, was launched in September 2018. It currently has a fleet of over 500 bikes, and this funding will help to increase the total number of hire points across the network to 101 by spring of this year. We await the electric bikes sometime later this year too.
The scheme was awarded funding by the electricity network operator in a bid to encourage more people who live, visit and study in Edinburgh to take up cycling as a low carbon alternative to other forms of travel.
The funded hire points are currently being installed at sites across the city including Montgomery Street and Belford Road next to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One) and Dean Gallery. Other funded sites include West Crosscauseway, Corstorphine Road and Craigleith Road.
Many of the new hire points will link areas of Edinburgh which have not previously been served by the cycle network.
Edinburgh’s bike hire scheme is one of 33 Scottish projects to receive a share of £15 million from the Green Economy Fund, which is designed to help projects and organisations pursue their green ambitions.
Alex Macdonald, Serco’s General Manager for Just Eat Cycles, said: “We are extremely thankful for the work SPEN and TfE have done to support the scheme since its launch.
“A cost effective, green alternative to travelling by car or bus is pivotal to the City’s goals for an integrated and sustainable travel network. Expanding the existing network of hire points around Edinburgh’s city centre helps contribute to these objectives. We are hugely grateful for this funding and we thank SPEN for its ongoing support.”
SP Energy Networks support a range of innovative projects, from bike hire schemes and electric bin lorries, through to a micro heat network and community hydropower station.
Frank Mitchell, Chief Executive of SP Energy Networks, said: “Edinburgh’s cycle scheme has already made a huge impact by providing low-carbon travel options for residents and visitors alike.
“Our Green Economy Fund gives organisations such as Transport for Edinburgh the opportunity to establish or expand projects that benefit people in their community and support the growth of Scotland’s green economy. Ultimately, they will help to meet the Scottish Government’s ‘net zero’ targets and play a part in tackling climate change.”
A portion of the funding will be used for outreach work in communities where hire points are installed in order to raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits of cycling.
Just Eat Cycles has been monitoring usage patterns and taking feedback from communities around Edinburgh in order to map out the most suitable areas for new hire points.
The Green Economy Fund was established in 2018 to support projects that will ultimately help the Scottish Government in reaching its green targets, which aim to boost local economic growth, improve air quality in our cities and deliver a better future, quicker for our communities.
The fund does this by helping projects that promote low-carbon heating, low-carbon transport, or the education of Scotland’s workforce for a greener future.
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