Brakes on city's bike hire plans

PLANS for a bike hire scheme in the Capital have been put on ice after it was found to be too expensive.

Council chiefs wanted to introduce a similar scheme to bike sharing initiatives in operation in Paris, Barcelona, and most recently London where bikes are left at points across the city for public use.

But they have now estimated that the scheme would cost 2.3 million a year to operate, which city leaders say would not be commercially viable.

They instead looked into finding a private firm that would be willing to sponsor the scheme but found that on-street advertising on bike hire stations would breach the terms of a 15-year deal signed in 1999 with Adshell. That deal means that Adshell have the exclusive right to advertise in exchange for installing and maintaining the city's bus shelters and public toilets.

News that the scheme will not be progressed has disappointed Conservative councillor Iain Whyte, who has been campaigning for such a scheme for years.

He said: "It is rather disappointing. It seems the contract for on-street advertising is scuppering things and that is a 15-year contract. It seems like there is not much prospect of a major city centre scheme until 2014 at the earliest.

"But they are also talking about the ongoing costs being an issue and that is why I would want them to look at getting a sponsor on board."

A bike hire scheme was introduced in London last month, when 6000 bikes for hire were spread around the city. The scheme cost around 140m to introduce, partly paid for in a sponsorship deal with Barclays.

Cllr Whyte, who believes companies like Royal Bank of Scotland may be interested in sponsoring a scheme like this, said: "If Barclays can do it in London, I'd hope we could talk about getting someone on board that takes corporate social responsibility seriously."

A previous city council study of 950 people found that 20 per cent said that they would be "quite likely" to use the bikes. And it was hoped that any scheme could help the city reach a target of four per cent of journeys being by bike.

Cllr Gordon Mackenzie, the city's transport leader, said: "The work indicated that such a scheme would not be commercially viable and that the on-street advertising revenue is not an option to support it.

"Pending the re-letting of an advertising contract, the council is exploring the supporting of external organisations in the development of their own schemes."