How York aims to lead the way in the North for green travel after launch of e-scooters

Fifty of the two-wheeled vehicles with small electric motors, which operate in more than 100 cities around the world, have been deployed in and around the University of York, at the green travel launch today. (October 20).

It is part of a year-long e-scooter trial and selected leading operator TIER to run the technology.

As part of the Department for Transport-approved scheme renting an e-scooter in York will cost riders £1 to unlock the vehicle and 15p per minute travelled.

Paula Widdowson, the Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change at City of York Council, said: "I believe we can be a flagship for the North and the UK.

"This will have an impact on our carbon footprint and on the sustainability of the city.

"But it should also have an impact on some of our behaviours and it will be a good thing to see people giggling as they are not really putting a lot of effort in, going down the bike routes, passing the cars that are waiting to get into town to pay lots of money in a car park."

Discussions are taking place with the potential to gradually increase to up to 700 after six months, which officials hope will contribute to cleaner air in York and inspire other Northern cities to follow suit.

Coun Widdowson, 57, added: "We’ve drip feeding it in, this isn’t a big bang, this isn’t 700 bikes all over the place and people wondering what to do.

"It’s feeding it in on the routes we know are really congested."

She added: "Let’s give it a go - and let’s see if we can improve even more the way which we work with each other - let’s see if it can grow like our bike usage has over the last 10 years".

Andy D’Agorne, Executive Member for Transport at City of York Council, added: "This will provide a fantastic opportunity to explore how e-scooters might add to the mix of sustainable transport options, whilst helping to improve air quality and expand our electrical vehicle charging offer.

"The trial will also form part of the city’s Covid-19 response in terms of, for example, providing sustainable alternatives to support capacity on public transport across the city.

"We’re excited to approve the trial in York and to be working alongside TIER. Together we will ensure there are clear and effective channels of communication which are critically important to get early warning of any issues that need to be addressed, to assess the impact and to learn all the lessons from the trial."

TIER scooters come with safety features including an integrated helmet, a large front wheel, dual suspension, dual suspension, a double kick-stand and dual drum brakes for stable riding on uneven surfaces and conditions.

Fred Jones, TIER UK General Manager, said: "We are excited to be offering York residents and visitors a more sustainable way of travelling around the city, as people get to grips with new ways of navigating during Covid-19.

"Our e-scooters can bring great benefits to the city, including reducing air pollution and congestion. We look forward to rolling out more e-scooters in coming months.”

Mr Jones, who previously worked at Uber for more than five years and had been running its entire UK operation since February, before joining the electric scooter start-up this Summer, added: "We really hope York can be an exemplar for other cities to look at and say ‘we want that service in our cities as well.

"I fully expect once this trial period is over we’ll see many more cities across the North, and smaller towns look at this service and definitely see the value of rolling it out locally in their neighborhoods as well."

Professor Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnership and Engagement, at the University of York, added: "Sustainability is at the heart of the University's principles. To be at the forefront of this pilot, and work with the City of York Council and TIER on the scheme, is a great opportunity for us as well as the wider city of York.

"Our sustainable transport plan is ever evolving and we will continue to support new and diverse transport options in the future."

Pilot schemes for e-scooter use have already been launched in part of the Tees Valley.

The launch of the e-scooters are part of a raft of measures being put in place in the City of York to tackle pollution and improve air quality.

York’s clean air zone, which is also the UK’s only voluntary zone, is still due to be rolled out in January next year.

Measures being considered by the council could include using rickshaws to transport stock to shops and restaurants in the city centre, cutting the number of vans and lorries allowed into the pedestrian zone.

And polluting vans and HGVs could be added to the vehicles restricted under the city’s clean air zone scheme.

Further work to tackle air quality includes making York taxis electric or low emission, measures to make buildings greener through planning conditions and plans to build superfast charging hubs for electric vehicles.

York has also bid to become the UK’s first all electric bus city.

___________________________

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers.

So, please - if you can - pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust.

Thank you

James Mitchinson