E-bike roll-out planned to coincide with electric car plans in Devon
With more than 400 public electric car charging points planned for Devon, cycling groups are worried they're being forgotten.
We can reveal there's plans to extend Devon's e-bike hire scheme - and install more charging points - alongside the ongoing roll-out of electric car charging points.
By the end of next year Devon's councils will have provided more than 400 public electric car chargers- including 74 on-street rapid ones - and are also bidding for more Government money to make it easier to cycle on an e-bike.
The move has been welcomed by cycling campaigners - who say reducing traffic should be a priority, along with making it easier and safer to travel by bike b developing new cycle networks.
Use of the Co Bike network increased in Devon by over 400 per cent across 2020.
Mike Walton, Chair of the Exeter Cycling Campaign, said; "What I don't want to do is move to a place where our city has replaced a congestion with diesel cars and put in place congestion for electric vehicles.
"Time and time again research shows - and indeed experience shows - in many cities around the world that if you make it safe for people to cycle, if you make it safe and accessible for people to walk safely they will do so.
"We saw in lockdown didn't we that when it was safe people came out with their families and thought I'll cycle on the road now because it's safe to do so."
Stuart Hughes, Devon county council's cabinet member for highways, said: "We teamed up with Co Bikes many many years ago and they started rolling out electric bikes right across Exeter - you'll see them at the railway stations, Cranbrook, St David's.
"Everybody remembers the Boris Bike, well Devon led the way with Co Bikes - the first electric charging bikes that people could actually hire out.
"We've actually applied to Government for another pot of money and hopefully if we're successful then we'll see more of these charging points being rolled out in other areas such as Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth and more around Exeter - and then rolling them out around the county."
All this week we're looking at the roll-out of electric cars in Devon after 30 nations pledged to make zero emission vehicles the norm by 2030
There's been a mixed reaction to the pavement locations for the first 14 of Devon's new rapid public charging points
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