Norwich bike hire scheme celebrates anniversary

Norfolk County Council and the Transport for Norwich Partnership are celebrating the second anniversary of the city's Beryl scheme.

Launched on Tuesday 17 March 2020, the scheme has amassed 432,380 journeys over its first two years, equating to a total distance of 1,309,055 km, the equivalent of nearly 33 journeys around the Earth.

This equates to 52.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions saved; the equivalent of around 307 airline flights from London to Edinburgh or 3,506,626 boiled kettles.**

Feedback from users shows that almost a third (29.2%) of the bike, e-bike and scooter journeys in Norwich have replaced road transport journeys - including driving a car/van, being a passenger in a car/van, and using a taxi or riding a motorbike or moped.*

As well as passing a significant milestone, the scheme has also recently welcomed the installation of four new bays. The first two were installed last week at Pilling park and by Eaton Park South Park Avenue, while a further two were installed just yesterday at Dussindale in Thorpe St Andrew, taking the total number in Norwich to 93.

This also follows the recent announcements that the scheme is set to expand geographically to Wymondham, Hethersett and Drayton and the e-scooter trial has been extended until November this year. The number of e-scooters is also set to undergo a phased increase from 250 to 500 to enable the DfT to obtain more data.

Funded by the government's Transforming Cities Fund, the scheme launched with bikes and e-bikes before e-scooters were added in September 2020 as part of the Department for Transport's (DfT) e-scooter trials.

Councillor Lana Hempsall, Norfolk County Council's member champion for sustainable travel said: "I am delighted to see the ever-growing positive impact the Norwich Beryl scheme continues to have on both people's travel habits and the environment.

"We have a host of new initiatives in the pipeline to bring the service to even more residents in the coming year and will continue to promote greener travel options across the whole county.

"Encouraging more people to walk or cycle supports our goals as a council to reduce carbon emissions and improve the health of our residents."

Beryl CEO, Phil Ellis, said: "Our Norwich scheme - with its three modes - is a great example of how delivering a range of services can better contribute towards the aims of an integrated transport network.

"Each type of transport has its own benefits and appeals, meaning that when they are delivered as a package, they can complement each other and broaden the appeal of active travel solutions.

"We aim to remove the barriers that stop people using sustainable transport and inspire them to give it a go, so it's really encouraging to see how successful the scheme has been in its first two years."

You can hire a Beryl Bike, e-Bike or e-scooter through the Beryl app, available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users.

The Beryl e-Bike can be differentiated from the Beryl Bikes through a lightning bolt symbol visible on the bike and bay icons in-app. The remaining range of the Beryl e-Bike is also displayed in-app ahead of hiring the bike so riders can confirm the battery will last throughout their journey.

Beryl's e-Bikes have a centre mount pedal assist, ensuring a lower centre of gravity in the bike, providing a safer and more enjoyable riding experience. Electric power is supplied through pedal assist, meaning the rider can adjust the bike's speed through the power in their pedalling.

The electric assist of the Beryl e-Bike is capped at a max speed of 15.5mph (24.9kmph) in accordance with UK law.

Beryl e-Scooters can be used on roads, cycle lanes, carriageways and other areas where cycling is permitted but not on pavements.

The local Beryl operations team manage all the on street maintenance and use a battery swapping process to ensure the e-bikes and e-scooters are charged and ready for use.

For more information on the Norwich scheme, please visit Norwich Bike Share | Beryl - Beryl