Areas which have not seen the distinctive green scooters will now have them in their streets
Bristol’s e-scooter and e-bike hire scheme provider TIER has merged with Dott, replacing TIER’s lime green bikes and scooters with Dott’s distinctive blue and orange machines.(Image: Tier-Dott)
The areas where people can hire an e-scooter or an e-bike as part of the West of England trial scheme is expanding far to the east of Bristol, council chiefs have announced.
The scheme is extending into parts of South Gloucestershire to the east of the Avon Ring Road from today, with more extensions to the north of the M4 coming next month.
At the moment, the scooters and e-bikes can be hired on the street in Bristol and the northern fringes of the city that are in South Gloucestershire, as well as in places like Kingswood and Staple Hill.
But new metro mayor Helen Godwin has announced a further expansion which will bring another 40,000 residents into the scheme’s area.
It will mean the distinctive green scooters and bikes appearing on the streets of areas on the eastern side of the ring road, like Cadbury Heath, Longwell Green, Oldland Common and Warmley.
And for the first time, from July 7, areas in South Gloucestershire the other side of the M4 will also the e-scooters and e-bikes – in Coalpit Heath, Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne.
Helen Godwin also announced that there will be money put aside to pay for more marked out parking bays for the scooters and bikes, because of long-running complaints about the machines blocking the pavements for pedestrians.
The e-scooters have been in Bristol and Bath since the autumn of 2020, and gradually the scheme has expanded its area ever since, through three different providers – Voi, Tier and now Dott.
The West of England has the fourth highest number of journeys by bike and scooter in any scheme run by Dott.
Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin
“E-bikes and e-scooters have quickly become a big part of our transport mix in Bristol and Bath, and parts of South Gloucestershire, helping to reduce congestion on our roads and improve air quality,” explained metro mayor Helen Godwin.
“Some 40,000 more people across South Gloucestershire will have the chance to hop on an e-bike or e-scooter for shorter, more sustainable journeys too. As more parts of South Gloucestershire join this trial, we need to have learned the lessons from the initial e-scooter launch.
“Convenient travel for some people shouldn’t inconvenience others – so there will be a renewed focus on responsible parking. Working with the police and councils, we will also soon be starting a joint e-scooter safety campaign to try to help everyone stay safe on our roads,” she added.
Only the e-scooters that are part of the official Department for Transport trial are legally allowed on the road – people who ride their own e-scooters on the roads or pavements are breaking the law and could have them confiscated by police.
South Gloucestershire’s planning chief, Cllr Chris Willmore (Lib Dem, Yate North) said she was pleased more people in South Glos will be able to get involved in the scheme. “We are very pleased to see e-bikes and e-scooters expand to cover more areas in South Gloucestershire, offering communities another sustainable option for travel,” she said.
The areas of South Gloucestershire that will soon be included in the West of England e-scooter and e-bike hire scheme. On the morning of Wednesday, June 18. It was announced the scheme would be expanding from today into Longwell Green, Oldland Common and Cadbury Heath(Image: Dott)
“As part of our climate and nature emergency aims, we are committed to reducing dependence on cars by encouraging the use of low-carbon, convenient ways to move around the area. Making small changes in the way we travel can help reduce congestion and improve air quality, bringing improvements for everyone,” she added.
The head of public policy in the UK and Ireland for Dott, Iqbal Ahmed, said the number of times people had hired an e-scooter or e-bike in the West of England since the pilot scheme began had now passed five million.
“Reaching 5 million rides in the West of England Combined Authority area is a great milestone that reflects the growing role of shared mobility in people’s everyday lives,” he said. “At Dott, our mission is to change mobility for good, together. We are committed to working with the Mayor of the West of England and all local authorities to improve intermodal transport and develop sustainable ways of riding,” he added.
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