Council to closely monitor impact of e-bikes in Bath

Bath & North East Somerset Council will closely monitor the impact on footways of the new e-bikes currently being rolled out in Bath. The new service sees the introduction of e-bikes to Bath in addition to the e-scooter service, which has been running since October 2020. E-cargo bikes will also be introduced soon.

E-scooters, e-bikes and e-cargo bikes are commissioned by the West of England Combined Authority.  A fleet of 500 shared e-bikes and e-scooters is now in place in Bath following Tier taking over the West of England Combined Authority contract.

However some concerns have been expressed over potential impacts of the new e-bikes, such as obstructing footways, and how this will affect in particular people with access needs.

Now the council and combined authority have agreed plans to ensure smooth implementation of the e-bike scheme, including considering measures such as on-road parking bays and bike racks on pavements where appropriate. A  new mailbox for comments and suggestions has been set up by Bath & North East Somerset Council:  micromobility@bathnes.gov.uk” and Tier are deploying 10 Rangers in Bath to manage the scheme.

Councillor Sarah Warren, Bath & North East Somerset’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Sustainable Travel said: “We welcome the introduction of e-bikes to Bath. They have the potential to be an extremely useful addition to people’s sustainable travel choices and to our joint effort to tackle climate change.

Councillor Sarah Warren, Bath & North East Somerset’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Sustainable Travel said: “We welcome the introduction of e-bikes to Bath. They have the potential to be an extremely useful addition to people’s sustainable travel choices and to our joint effort to tackle climate change.

“However, we all recognise that e-bikes require different infrastructure to support them when compared to the e-scooters, especially as e-bikes are much bigger and heavier than e-scooters.  I am pleased therefore that Tier will be shortly reducing the number of e-bikes and increasing the number of e-scooters in Bath so they are roughly equal in number, which should help address this. We understand Tier is also planning a long-term rental scheme for e-scooters which also has the potential to reduce the pressure on street parking in the city centre.

“We will continue to work with the West of England Combined Authority and Tier to smooth the transition and help ensure the scheme is a success. I welcome comments from local residents and businesses on how the scheme is being implemented in the city.”