Ebikes for hire scheme

RESIDENTS and visitors will soon be able to zoom around Dumfries and Galloway on electric bikes for hire.

Councillors this week gave the green light to plans for nine ‘multi-modal transport hubs’ across the region, which will encourage people to hop on bikes and reduce car trips.

One of the approved multi-modal transport hubs sites is at Kilngreen car park in Langholm. Once installed, it will include: a public cycle pump and repair station, secure cycle storage lockers, electric bike storage lockers with internal charging points, a bike and dog wash, and electric vehicle charging points.

At Tuesday’s Annandale and Eskdale area committee, councillors were enthusiastic about the benefits these active travel hubs will bring.

Annandale East and Eskdale Councillor Councillor Denis Male said: “This is a real welcome addition to the aspirations of the community in Eskdale, especially with the tourism developments that are coming, such as 150 chalets just south of the town, and the Center Parcs just north of Hawick.

“I think that there’s going to be an explosion of tourism and cyclists and walkers. So this facility will be very much welcomed.

“I’m delighted it is proceeding and hopefully it’ll be in situ soon.”

Annandale East and Eskdale Councillor Archie Dryburgh added: “I would agree and this is really important not just for tourism of course but obviously the situation with the local bus network as well.”

The council is developing these multi-modal transport hubs throughout the region with funding from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF).

The hubs aim to make sustainable and active travel more accessible to residents and visitors by joining up everyday journeys, improving links between towns and reducing car trips while increasing bus, walking, and cycling trips.

Council leader Stephen Thompson said: “This needs to be more than just a charging point and a bike rack sort of thing. And I know it represents much more than that, but is there a way that this fits into a bigger picture of bus, rail, and transport connectivity that’s going to make sense to the communities involved?”

Sarah Jane Allsopp, the council’s project manager for the LUF Transport scheme, said: “Yes, the facilities that are being provided at Langholm include secure cycle storage, ebikes for hire, and a hire electric vehicle. So, there’s more than bike racks and vehicle charging.

“The idea of the transport hubs – nine of which are being placed across the region – is that when people can step off a bus or a rail link if appropriate, that they can pick up alternatives for that last mile, with the likes of cycle journeys.

“They’ll have access to ebikes, as is seen in various areas across the UK, and very successful in Europe.

“It’s the sort of bikes for hire that can be docked and taken out for a couple of hours or so.”

She added: “The idea with these hubs is that we link up journeys and that we provide extra opportunities and extra modes of transport to join up the public transport network.”