Bike share operators Beryl, along with partners Watford Borough Council and Three Rivers District Council, are expanding the scheme to make it even more connected and accessible…
Five new bays and 15 new e- bikes have been added to Croxley Green, expanding the scheme boundary to the west. The expansion will break down the barriers to sustainable transport for thousands more people and boost sustainable access to employment, educational, retail and leisure opportunities.
The expansion is part of a two year e-bike pilot funded by Three Rivers District Council via their capital budget.
It follows the recent expansion into Bushey in March 2024, where 15 bikes and four bays were made available in partnership with Hertsmere Borough Council. This latest expansion will enable riders to enjoy greater flexibility and make hassle-free rides between Croxley, Bushey, and Watford.
The Beryl Annual Rider Report 2023 showed that, in Watford, 97% of people who had signed up to use Beryl services cited convenience as an important factor for doing so.
Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “We know from talking to our riders that flexibility and convenience are major factors when deciding whether to opt for sustainable transport.
“By collaborating with partners and expanding the scheme beyond its existing boundaries, we break down the barriers to active travel for thousands more people and create a wealth of new opportunities to get cycling.
“By doing this we can help encourage people out of their cars and have a positive impact on people’s mental and physical health, while also reducing traffic congestion and the amount of harmful carbon emissions.”
Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Leader of Three Rivers District Council, said: “After pushing for this for more than four years, I am extremely happy to see this become a reality in Three Rivers. The council has always been and remains committed to sustainable travel in order to reduce the number of private vehicles used for short journeys and cut air pollution.
“Since this launched in Watford, over half a million sustainable journeys across more than 1,340,000km have been covered. We will monitor the scheme until 2026, and, if proven popular, I hope that we can expand this across the district so residents outside Croxley Green can have easy access to a Beryl Bike.”
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Since we launched our Beryl Bike scheme in 2020 it has been a big success. I am delighted that we are now expanding it into new areas, which will benefit all of us. Working with neighbouring councils, more people will be able to use these bikes. Users of the bikes improve their own health and at the same time help to cut congestion and air pollution in our area. I can’t wait to see the bikes being used by even more people in the years ahead.”
Launched in March 2020, Beryl’s Watford scheme recently passed 500,000 sustainable journeys across more than 1,340,000 km. This has generated over 190,000 hours of physical activity and, according to industry calculations, saved over 51 tonnes of carbon emissions, a significant impact on public health and regional air quality.
Earlier this year, Watford Borough Council announced its decision to extend its contract with Beryl to provide the borough’s bike and e-bike share services until 2026.
The Bushey expansion was funded by Hertsmere Borough Council through section 106 development contributions. Since Beryl brought its bikes and e-bikes to Hertsmere in October 2022, they have generated almost 23,000 journeys in Elstree and Borehamwood across nearly 50,000km.
PIC-WATFORD COUNCIL
