A new bike-share scheme has landed in the borough of Ealing, West London in September. Following the success of a similar scheme in Manchester, the Ealing Council hope that it will bring about a healthier and more affordable way for people to travel into busy London, encouraging people who have never had access to cycling to get on a bike.
The Ealing council hopes it will encourage people to excersise more and ride a bike to school or work, instead of getting the car, which will help reduce the ever increasing amount of green house gases that are polluting the city. The 750 new bikes, also mean that people who may not be able to afford an expensive new bicycle, can also help reduce pollution.
It is easy to get set up on the scheme, which is run by Mobike, download the free app to your phone. It tells you where your nearest bike is, you scan the code to unlock the bike, then you can enjoy a healthier way to travel to school, work, anywhere. When you reach your destination, you park the bike in any authorised parking area and manually lock it to end your ride. The cost to use a bike is £0.50 per 30 minutes, after you have paid the deposit fee of £1.
The Borough of Ealing already offer free cycle training which is available to residents but warns the public that the scheme can only work if people are safe and aware, when using the bikes, and that bikes are locked and parked securely.
A local living in Ealing said ‘I think they are a great idea, I haven’t used it yet, but plan to try, once the weather gets warmer to get to and from the tube.’
The number of people who ride bike’s are expanding, and with the help of borough’s around the country, supporting the scheme, hopefully it will encourage people to get out more and ride their bikes or Mobike more often, so even more people can have the opportunity to a healthier way to travel.
