Two new bays have opened in Wymondham - at Wymondham Library, Back Lane and Market Street Car Park - making the scheme accessible to thousands more people in the area.
The extension of the scheme has been made possible thanks to funding from the Department for Transport E-cycle extension fund.
The two bays will boost the market town’s connection to Norwich city centre and make it easier for people to travel or commute sustainably.
It will take advantage of The Blue Pedalway, a cycle lane opened in July 2020 that connects Wymondham with Sprowston via Norwich city centre. It currently takes approximately 50 minutes to cycle 10 miles between the two locations.
To help promote the service and answer queries, Beryl will be holding a pop-up event in Wymondham on Friday 26th August, from 1 pm - 5 pm.
Councillor Robert Savage, County Councillor for Wymondham said; “I’m delighted that Wymondham is now part of the Beryl network – and just in time for the summer holidays.
“With safe travel routes to neighbouring Hethersett as well as into Norwich this really does bring a fantastic new flexible and sustainable travel option to the residents here.
“It’s also a great option for those wanting to visit Wymondham for the day from Norwich who can now leave the car at home.”
Beryl CEO Phil Ellis said: “By extending the scheme to Wymondham we are helping to remove the barriers that may stop people using sustainable transport.
“Norwich has excellent cycling infrastructure and hopefully even more people will now be encouraged to try it out, especially with the weather a bit warmer currently and petrol prices at an all-time high.
“By getting more people out of the car and onto two wheels we can not only contribute towards improving public health but also cutting congestion on the area’s roads and improving air quality.”
Since its launch on Tuesday 17 March 2020, the Norwich scheme has amassed over 629,000 journeys, equating to a total distance of 1,934,781 km, the equivalent of over 40 journeys around the Earth.
This equates to nearly 91 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions saved; the equivalent of around 536 airline flights from London to Edinburgh or 6,113,440 boiled kettles.*
Feedback from users shows that almost a third (28.5%) of the bike, e-bike and scooter journeys in Norwich have replaced road transport journeys - including driving a car/van, being a passenger in a car/van, and using a taxi or riding a motorbike or moped.**
The scheme welcomed the installation of four new bays in April this year, one at Pilling park and another by Eaton Park on South Park Avenue along with a further two at Dussindale in Thorpe St Andrew.
You can hire a Beryl bike, e-bike or e-scooter through the Beryl app, available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users.
*Carbon saving calculations are approximate and are based on industry research
**Based on 15,843 user responses received since 10 March 2021