Share North
Leeds Beckett University Goes Electric
Leeds Beckett University recently acquired a new electric bike, provided by the Travel Plan Network team at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and funded by the Interreg North Sea Region Project “SHARE-North”.
The new E-bike joins an existing fleet of pool bikes at the University for staff to use for business travel. They currently have two folding Brompton bikes and a number of hybrid bikes and the E-bike will make a welcome addition to the bike family with its power-assisted technology.
Leeds Beckett University has two campuses; one in Leeds city centre and the other in the more residential area of Headingley less than 3 miles away and up a gradual but challenging hill! With the advantage of being electrically-assisted the new pool bike will make travel by bike more inviting and inclusive, with quicker and easier journeys.
According to the latest University travel survey results, 40 per cent of the inter-site journeys are made by car, which is contributing to congestion, increased carbon emissions, reduced air quality and affecting the health and wellbeing of students and staff.
The University has set targets to reduce this by half to 20 per cent by 2021 and it is hoped the electric pool bike will help to achieve this.
Staff can book the bike by emailing or calling the University and can be booked with a helmet and panniers if needed. Staff are given a short E-bike orientation so they feel confident with how to use it.
The project will be monitored and feedback from users collected and shared to encourage others to use the bike for business travel. The bike will be working hard, as after business hours it can be used by staff to trial the commute too!
SHARE-North partners attending the visit to the UK in October will have an opportunity to visit Leeds Beckett University and find out how the bike is making business travel easier and greener.
Pictured right to left: Nicola Whatmuff (Travel Plan Network-West Yorkshire Combined Authority), Jason Colbeck (Transport Co-ordinator), Fiona Sandford (Admin for Cares and Estates) and Professor Paul Smith (Deputy Vice Chancellor Resources) from Leeds Beckett University.
For more information contact: Nicola Whatmuff, Travel Plan Network, West Yorkshire Combined Authority; nicola.whatmuff@westyorks-ca.gov.uk.