We and Beryl are celebrating two successful years so far for our bike and e-bike share scheme in Borehamwood, which has had a positive impact on air quality and congestion levels as well as improving people’s mental and physical health.
Since launching on 20 October 2022, the scheme has generated more than 25,000 sustainable journeys across nearly 50,000km - more than the distance once around the world.
According to feedback from users, around 5,000 of those journeys have directly replaced a car or taxi journey. This has helped the local area avoid almost two tonnes of harmful carbon emissions and led to nearly 6,500 hours of exercise for people.
The latest Beryl Annual Rider Report - a survey of thousands of Beryl users across several schemes - shows that the bikes and e-bikes in Hertsmere are a popular way to connect with other public transport services. Of riders asked in Hertsmere, 69% said they used the service to connect with public transport. Analysis also shows that the Elstree and Borehamwood Station bay is by far the most popular for starting and ending journeys - used more than twice as many times as the second most-used bay in the borough.
Councillor Nik Oakley, the council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Transport, said: "The cycle hire scheme in Borehamwood has been thoroughly successful, and the fact that around 50,000km across more than 25,000 journeys have been covered so far is testament to that.
"The scheme means that there is a sustainable and healthy way for our residents, those who work in the area and visitors to get around Borehamwood and into the neighbouring areas, without having to rely on a car or other vehicle."
Councillor Paul Richards, Cabinet Member for Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero and Public Health at the council, said: "It is wonderful to see that so many people have been using the cycle hire scheme in Borehamwood since its launch. The benefits to the health and wellbeing of our residents, with traffic and air pollution both reduced, are clear.
"With the scheme having been extended to Bushey, it is certainly an incredibly valuable part of our ongoing plans to create a more sustainable borough and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050."
Phil Ellis, Beryl CEO and co-founder, said: "I think these numbers show that, by bringing a well-planned, easy-to-use and cost-effective bike share scheme to an area such as Hertsmere, you can help to break down the barriers to cycling for a lot of people.
"Bike share is a really flexible transport option that can be used for a wide range of journeys, whether that’s for exercise, commuting, social, leisure, retail or connecting with other modes - which is a popular choice for our Hertsmere riders.
"I’m looking forward to working with our council partners to help further establish the scheme across the borough and encourage even more people to swap four wheels for two."
The scheme currently offers 45 bikes and 25 e-bikes, available to rent from 27 Beryl bays across Borehamwood. These bays have been located as conveniently as possible following consultation with communities and key stakeholders. This means that 28,089 people are no more than a five-minute walk from a bay, which represents 87.5% of the service area's population.
Operated by Beryl on behalf of the council, the Borehamwood scheme is run alongside an expansion, launched earlier this year, in the Bushey area. The project is being funded by Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money and Section 106 contributions from new development.
Users can pay for their journeys in a variety of ways to suit their individual needs and circumstances:
- Pay As You Ride is best for single journeys or occasional rides and will cost users £1 unlocking fee and 5p per minute on pedal bikes or £1.50 unlocking fee and 10p per minute on e-bikes;
- Minute Bundles enable regular users to buy upfront and save money, starting at 100 minutes for £5;
- Day Passes are suitable for people on long days out and offer people unlimited riding over a 24-hour-period for £12 for pedal bikes only or £16 to include e-bikes.
The Beryl app is available for free download on the App Store and the Google Play Store.
For more information, visit https://beryl.cc/scheme/hertsmere
