Haringey seeks public views ahead of e-bike scheme

Residents of Haringey are being asked to comment on the council’s plans to introduce an e-bike scheme for the first time through an online portal. 

Haringey Council currently plans to trial the pay-as-you-go scheme from Spring this year and is seeking public feedback ahead of the launch.

Cllr Mike Hakata, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, said: ‘We want to do all we can to encourage people to travel actively, and firmly believe that a well-managed and controlled e-bike sharing scheme can help in our ambition of becoming a cycling borough. 
 
‘Cycling has so many benefits, from supporting residents’ health and wellbeing to reducing traffic and improving air quality. The scheme is an important part of our Streets for People programme, and we want to get this right.’ 

As part of an effort to ensure all viewpoints are heard, the council has launched an ‘online community space’ which contains information about the scheme, an interactive map, and a survey for visitors to fill out. 

Though the bikes will be dockless, the council is hoping that bicycle bays around the borough will be used by people to reduce the chance of the bikes obstructing pavements. 

The council’s ‘Streets for People’ scheme is an initiative to cut traffic and improve the walkability and cyclability of the area as 60% of households in the borough don’t own a car. 

Steps taken under the scheme include the creation of cycling routes, introducing low-traffic neighbourhoods, and the use of school streets to prioritise pedestrians at school pick up and drop off times. 

Haringey joins a number of local government bodies around the UK in encouraging active travel options, including Greater Manchester which launched a digital portal to provide businesses with information about public transport, cycling and walking routes in the area. 

You can visit the commonplace site to provide feedback on the e-bike scheme here, the deadline for comments is February 19th and residents can also email docklessbikes@haringey.gov.uk or write in to the transport planning team.

Photo by Gotrax