The popular ‘Bee Network Cycle Hire’ scheme is projected to be further extended from June 2022.

250 more bikes were added last week on top of the 30 already available for closed trial around The University of Salford, MediaCity and Oxford Road.

The bikes can be hired through mobile app Beryl and are GPS tracked, accessible and adaptable with automatic lighting.

This has fulfilled the promise that Salford mayor Paul Dennett made in June, when he said: “We will continue to develop and implement walking and cycling improvements to connect communities across our city and make it easier for people to travel into Manchester

“Plans are taking shape behind the scenes and, as soon as we are able, we will communicate new routes in our great city.”

Locations for the bikes have been chosen based on their resident population, numbers of visitors, proximity to attractions and a high likelihood that people in the nearby area would cycle.

From June 2022, the number of pedal bikes available to the public is set to be 1,200 with a further 300 ebikes at over 200 cycle hire stations.

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Reaction to the last expansion was mixed on social media, with many recalling the fated ‘MoBikes’ that failed due to vandalism, making Salford the first city in the world to lose the scheme.

FaceBook user Chris Bolland said: “We’ve still got a MoBike on site at work that we pulled out of a storm screen under ground. No doubt we’ll find our first one of these before long…”

Via Dunk on Flickr https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ no changes made

 

However, not everyone was as pessimistic, with Twitter user @Owler_Nook saying: “Really enjoyed my trial run today. Looking forward to seeing them spread across GM!”

Many will be hoping that the extension is more successful than MoBike, as it could signal a greener future for travel in the Salford area.

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