Calls for better bike lanes as West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme falls flat in Dudley

The bikes have only been rented 2,626 times in the Dudley borough between April 2021 and January 2022, figures released under a Freedom of Information request have revealed.

The take-up of around 60 rides per week is far below that seen elsewhere in the region with a total of 6,926 journeys taken in the first 14 days of the scheme launching across the West Midlands.

The £5 million cycle hire scheme was launched amid much fanfare last year with Boris Johnson riding one of the green cycles through Stourbridge to get people more interested in travelling by two wheels.

However in Dudley it is currently restricted to Stourbridge, Wordsley and Kingswinford - with no bike stations in Dudley town itself. Bikes can also be rented in parts of Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich and Oldbury

Campaigners have called for infrastructure to be improved to encourage more people to get on their bikes.

Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood Labour Councillor Chris Barnett said: "Given the underwhelming rental figures in Dudley so far, I am not certain we have seen value for money.

"Concerns around safety are the most likely to prevent people from getting on their bikes. to start to address this, I would like to see the existing cycling infrastructure in Dudley improved and maintained before any shiny new schemes are signed off."

He added: "As you can see from the WMCA’s own Starley Network, Stourbridge and certainly my own area is currently poorly served in terms of dedicated cycle routes."

In 2020 the National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS) showed 66 per cent of adults in England agreed "it is too dangerous for me to cycle on the roads".

Community campaigner for Stourbridge, Cat Eccles, said: "The uptake of this scheme does not justify the amount spent to get it in place. People have said the bikes are heavy, cumbersome, and the price to rent is not value for money.

"I see more time being spent repairing, and relocating bikes, than them being used by the public. Without the cycling infrastructure, it's pointless."

The West Midlands Cycle Hire Scheme was established with a £5m grant from the Department for Transport. Riders pay a £1 fee for unlocking the bike, then 5p per minute of cycling.

Fallings Park Councillor Chris Burden, who sits on the West Midlands transport delivery committee, believes changing the culture about cycling is a long-term challenge.

He said: "I am disappointed in the poor take-up in Dudley but it is not like the stats are bad for the whole region, in Birmingham the bikes are very popular, and in Wolverhampton people can have a ride round West Park.

"I live on the Stafford Road and I would not cycle into town because it is too dangerous, so I think there is a difference with cycling on roads and in parks and nature reserves. But though it will take time I think we have to stick with it."

Adam Tranter, West Midlands cycling and walking commissioner, defended the scheme.

He said: "The usage we’re currently seeing of West Midlands Cycle Hire within the Dudley area is proportionate to other areas within the scheme as it operates specifically in a smaller area of Stourbridge Town Centre.

"We want all seven local authority areas in the West Midlands to be able to benefit from cycle hire and so are pleased to operate in Dudley."

He added: "Our scheme is designed to be flexible and adaptable and so we are continuously monitoring the network and can make changes efficiently when we see a benefit in doing so.

"We absolutely believe we also need to improve cycling infrastructure across the Black Country as a whole and are working with local authority partners on this."