A new study into the effect of bike share schemes across the UK is highlighting how bike share schemes are helping reduce the need for people to drive, and giving them health-boosting exercise.
The charity CoMoUK (short for Collaborative Mobility UK) says at the end of September 2021, there were 39 locations served by bike share in the UK, with Cambridge and York opening, but noting that Edinburgh’s scheme closed.
It added e-bikes are now “firmly established” as a popular component of bike share and cycling more generally.
It’s found more than half of users were re-introduced to cycling through bike shares, while one in five say the schemes give them the only moderate exercise they get. More than half (53%) say they would’ve used a car (either as driver, passenger or in a taxi) if the bike share wasn’t available.
It’s estimated their use cuts 3.7 miles, which amounts to 1kg of CO2 every week per user.
34% of users reported that they combine bike share with car use (driver or passenger), possibly implying that bike share is functioning as a form of park-and-ride.
Read the whole report here.
(Picture – CoMoUK)
