500 e-bikes for hire are to be added to Santander Cycles, as part of a drive to get more Londoners cycling.
Cycling currently accounts for just 6% of journeys in London, a figure City Hall and Transport For London (TfL) are looking to increase.
2021 has been the most popular year in the history of the bikes and TfL is looking to modernise the docking stations to cope with rising demand.
For many Londoners with disabilities, cycling is an inaccessible form of transport. TfL hopes the addition of e-bikes will make it a viable alternative to using a car or a bus.
This announcement comes during cycle week, which runs from 30 May to 5 June.
The annual celebration aims to showcase cycling and its benefits to Londoners.
While leaders at City Hall have been touting the addition of the e-bikes, there are doubts about how much of an impact they will have.
Hackney Councillor Vincent Stops said, “I think there are two sides to e-bikes. They are very attractive, and I think people are taking to them, and so they will tempt people to have a go at cycling.”
But when comparing to countries like Holland, he said, “there are problems in terms of more casualties. Older people are getting onto e-bikes, then falling off of them, for various different reasons.”
He added, “Clearly e-bikes are a bit niche. They’re just an interesting idea.”
In a tweet on Monday, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that they would be “key to rebuilding London as a cleaner and greener city.”
He also praised the service for offering a discount to key workers who have worked through the pandemic.
Making cycling easier is key to rebuilding London as a cleaner and greener city. It's great news that the @TfL #SantanderCycles hire scheme has been extended. It will cover new areas of London, offer e-bikes and a well-earned discount to our NHS workers ???? pic.twitter.com/pDYaIHVPsg
— Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) May 28, 2021
A London success story
The Santander Cycles scheme was launched in 2010, with its bikes having been hired 101 million times, according to TfL.
Starting with 350 docking stations, there are now more than 750 across the capital.
The bikes were originally sponsored by Barclays bank, but was taken over by Santander in 2015.
They have agreed to remain sponsor for at least three more years, taking them to 2025.
