In a first of its kind, Brompton Bike Hire partner with Ealing Council to offer free membership to the Brompton Bike Hire scheme, for social housing residents at a new development in West London. Bike Hire lockers launched to encourage a shift away from cars, making cycling accessible to all and break the image cycle commuting a middle-class hobby
Brompton Bike Hire – the sister company to the iconic folding bike brand – is pleased to announce the opening of a Bike Hire dock for the exclusive use of residents in a West London housing development, in order to help the leave cars behind and cycle into the city.
The Copley estate in Hanwell is being extensively regenerated by Ealing Council, providing brand new homes for council rent, private sale, discounted market rent and shared ownership. But unlike similar other developments breaking ground all over the country, this is not a normal new housing project.
In a first, Brompton will provide all social and affordable housing residents in Copley Close with a free premium membership to the Bike Hire service. This will enable these residents to hire the bikes for the lowest day rate (£3.50/day), without having to pay an annual fee. Compared to the lowest price of a zone 3 travelcard – £8.20 – the cost of a day’s hire is significantly less than using public transport to head into central London.
Alongside this, Brompton will support the community with regular cycling experience days held at Copley Close to provide the residents with the confidence to start riding.
Brompton Bike Hire’s director Julian Scriven explains:
“Cycling is often incorrectly perceived as a middle-class hobby, rather than what it is; an inexpensive, accessible and environmentally responsible method of travel
“One of the barriers to entry to cycling is the economic outlay of the bike, so we are pleased to offer this service to those considering a bicycle for the first time, and are perhaps put off by initial cost. We would like to invite Local Authorities to reach out to use to deliver similar or even more ambitious projects. To genuinely create a modal shift away from cars and toward cycling, we need to make cycling accessible to all.”
Since the service launched in 2011, Brompton Bike Hire has provided day long (or longer) loans of their iconic folding bikes across the UK and further. With the introduction of new docks this summer, like the location in Ealing, the bike hire service will now be in over 50 locations, with lockers as far as north as Windmill Green in Manchester, to Jersey in the Channel Islands. Unlike bike ‘share’ services, the emphasis with Brompton Bike Hire is day-long hires, meaning it’s perfect for commuters and those on a round trip.
Ealing Council leader, Julian Bell, said:
“I’m delighted to be welcoming Brompton Bike Hire to the Copley Estate and to continuing our commitment to making cycling accessible to all.
“We want to give as many people the opportunity to try cycling, so we’re thrilled about the focus Brompton is placing on creating an integrated experience for our residents by offering bike hire at an affordable price and cycling experience days to help with their confidence to start riding.
“We believe this initiative will encourage the growth of cycling in the area and bring noticeable benefits to the local community, such as improving air quality and tackling climate change by influencing our residents to use sustainable modes of transport.”
For more information on Brompton Bike Hire, please visit: www.bromptonbikehire.com