Cycle hire scheme set to make Edinburgh comeback – with one big difference
Edinburgh is set to see the return of a cycle hire scheme, except this time they will be electric
One problem with Edinburgh’s last ill-fated attempt to establish a bicycle hire scheme was apparently that people were fond of coasting downhill from the likes of Princes Street (74 metres above sea level) to near-sea-level Leith, but rather less keen on making the thigh-building ascent in the opposite direction.
This meant the cycle hire company had to constantly drive around redistributing the bikes from low to high elevations. That, coupled with the arguably more serious problems of vandalism and theft, prompted its demise.
However, the city council is now in talks to introduce an all-electric cycle hire scheme, which they hope to do by next summer. So cyclists who don't fancy supersizing their quadriceps can basically take it easy all the way up Arthur’s Seat or any of Edinburgh’s famous seven hills if they like. The bikes also apparently have better locks these days, so fewer should end up in a canal.
Exercise, fresh air (reasonably anyway), and a sustainable way to travel with a free pass through the city’s traffic jams – what’s not to like?
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