A WARWICKSHIRE County councillor has urged Transport for West Midlands (TFWM) to extend its Beryl Bikes cycle hire scheme to Bromsgrove and Redditch.
It comes in a bid to improve the active travel opportunities in the county after it was ‘zero rated’ by Active Travel England.
Councillor Mike Rouse (Con, Redditch South), county council cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “Redditch is a non-constituent member of the Combined Authority, and would benefit greatly from the scheme especially as we are looking to build a new train station there.
“Bromsgrove station would benefit too. It would be a win for us all.”
The call comes as Worcestershire County Council prepares to publish plans for a new Redditch railway station.
It is envisaged the ‘Redditch Railway Quarter’ redevelopment will form a new gateway to the town. Plans are expected to include a multi-modal interchange approach.
Coun Rouse said: “Worcester is developing its own cycle hire scheme as part of the Towns Fund, but if we can get Beryl Bikes into the north of the county we could look to expand them to the south later on if they go down well.”
He added he had spoken with TFWM and the office of West Midlands Mayor Andy Street but had been left disappointed on learning that only the seven full constituent members of the Combined Authority are entitled to join the scheme.
“Worcestershire wants to do more on Active Travel, and the Beryl Bikes cycle hire scheme should be a quick and easy win especially for those towns that are close to Birmingham and have train stations that point north.
“It’s also an opportunity to demonstrate in a very visual way the Greater West Midlands in action.”
