Cycle scheme rolled out in Sandwell

Oldbury and West Bromwich in Sandwell have been added to the West Midlands Cycle Hire [WMCH] network.

More than 60 bikes are ready to use across ten docking stations including Sandwell Hospital, Dartmouth Park, Sandwell College and Sandwell and Dudley Railway Station.

This follows successful launches earlier this year across the West Midlands which have seen tens of thousands of riders clock up more than 93,000 miles [150,000km].

Councillor Jackie Taylor, cabinet member for sustainable transport at Sandwell Council, said: "It’s incredibly exciting to launch the new cycle hire scheme in Sandwell.

"The scheme has been popular in other areas and I know Sandwell residents will welcome this new mode of transport to help them get around the borough.

"There will be cycling docks across the six towns in Sandwell and I encourage people to take this opportunity to reap the benefits of the cycle hire scheme."

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: "With the addition of Sandwell today, we now have our cycle hire scheme up and running across all seven boroughs of the urban West Midlands.

"Our bikes have proven to be very popular across so far, with more than 150,000 kilometres already clocked up by riders across the region."

When the scheme is full rolled out later this year, there will be 170 fixed docks and 1,500 bikes for hire across the region, of which 150 will be powered e-bikes.

The pedal cycles have three gears to cope with hills and are fitted with high quality laser safety lights.

As an introductory offer everyone who signs up will get their first 30 minute bike ride for free. The normal cost of unlocking a bike is £1 with a 5p per minute charge after that.

This means a 20 minute cycle will cost £2 and an hour £4.