Four more Beryl bays have been installed in Wymondham to help push Norfolk towards a greener future. Quadrant Transport looks at how more bike bays will encourage people to use more sustainable transport methods.
The new bays add to the two which were put in place in July as Norfolk County Council aims to increase the availability of sustainable forms of transport and to encourage modal shift.
Norfolk County Council is working towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 with the UK Government’s ambition to reach the same status by 2050.
Modal Shift Is Being Encouraged Because Of The Bikes
Sites at Ketts Park car park, Postmill Close, Harts Farm Road and Tuttles Lane have been provided by South Norfolk Council – which leases the land for Wymondham Town Council.
Now, there are more than 100 bike bays across the county under a pilot bike, e-bike, and e-scooter share scheme run in partnership with micro-mobility provider Beryl.
A fifth new bay will be installed soon at Copper Smith Way in Wymondham and further bays are planned to arrive soon in neighbouring Hethersett as well as more bays within Norwich.
Since Beryl bikes arrived in Wymondham, it is said that 1,800km have been covered by around 450 journeys starting and finishing at the bays in the town, with people swapping their cars for a bike on those short journeys.
Travel Is Being Made More Accessible For More People
Beryl CEO Philip Ellis said: “Our Norwich scheme – with its three modes – is a great example of how delivering a range of services can better contribute towards the aims of an integrated transport network.
“Each type of transport has its own benefits and appeals that complement each other and our introduction of new modes of sustainable transport in Norwich has each time, led to an increase in the popularity of existing modes.”
I think that this innovation and diversity of choice has been key to the success and has allowed us to expand the scheme and make active travel more accessible to even more people.
With riders having clocked up more than two million kilometres of travel across the scheme – the equivalent of almost 50 journeys around the Earth, the scheme hit a new milestone in the summer.
Feedback from Beryl users has revealed that over a quarter (28.7 per cent) of the overall 767,000+ journeys made in Norwich have replaced road transport journeys – including driving a car/van, being a passenger in a car/van, using a taxi or riding a motorbike or moped.
It equates to almost 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions saved; the equivalent of around 1,951,899 boiled kettles or more than 95 flights from London to Edinburgh.