New electric bikes are available for hire to locals and visitors who want to see Orkney on two wheels, as part of a green travel project.
There are eight E-bikes available at the Kirkwall Travel Centre. They come equipped with helmets, hi-vis vests, bike locks, tyre pumps, LED lights, a pannier and a fully charged battery.
Cycle Orkney won the bid as the provider and will manage the day to day bookings of the bikes as well as service and maintain them for the three year project. Owner Alex Clark said: “The electric bikes remove the impact of hills and wind, which are the main obstacles to cycling in Orkney. They are pedal assisted bikes that do not have a throttle, so will give you that extra distance for longer journeys. Even cycling up steep inclines, such as Clay Loan, has proven to be do-able without exerting too much effort.
“In addition to collecting the bikes from the Travel Centre, people can arrange for us to drop the bikes off, for example, at the airport or ferry terminal, to collect upon arrival to Orkney. We also have a trailer available for hire that can attach to the back of the bikes so families with young children can go out together.”
The bikes are available for hire for £20 per day or £3 per hour.
The E-bikes initiative is part of Orkney Islands Council’s wider Smarter Choices, Smarter Places project. It has attracted £50,000 from Transport Scotland’ as well as an additional £10,000 from HITRANS (Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership) to help pay for the bikes and their maintenance.
James Stockan, Chair of the council's Development and Infrastructure committee, said: “This is a great way to get people more active, and a chance for those who normally wouldn’t chose cycling to get out there on bikes. As these E-bikes will assist when needed, we hope that people will take the opportunity to see how easy the bikes are and make use of them."
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