In 2011, North Sydney Council purchased two electric bicycles for staff to use to attend appointments and meetings in the local area – a busy, metropolitan centre located on the northern fringe of the City of Sydney. The bikes were purchased as part of the council’s 2020 Vision under the Sustainable Transport Initiatives.
The bikes help to reduce the impact of council motor vehicles on the local roads, while in many cases also improving the efficiency of staff by decreasing journey times during peak hour travel.
According to North Sydney Council’s Sustainable Transport Project Officer, Lindsay Menday, before staff can use the bikes they participate in a short online test to assess their skills. In addition, if members of staff are not confident in their cycling abilities in busy traffic conditions, they can attend a free Cycling in the City course.
The bikes have proved popular with the members of staff using them. Niki Carey, Senior Sustainability Programs Coordinator, for example, cycles the 3km to the CoalLoader Centre for Sustainability in Waverton.
“People are always fascinated by the bikes and think they’re a great council initiative,” she says. “Every day you get to ride the electric bike is a good day, it puts a smile on your face.”
According to Menday, one of the major benefits of the bikes is that they’re low maintenance. “We wipe them down and get them serviced as needed,” he says.
However, Menday offers the following advice to other fleet managers considering a bike fleet for their council. “My advice is to work out how you are going to monitor the bikes, as it's important to justify their usage,” he says.
“You will also need to consider how you will determine that people are equipped to ride the bikes. Having incentives to encourage people to change their behaviour and use the bikes is also vital. We provide staff with a free trendy helmet to keep if they use our bikes.“