An electric bike scheme in Scotland was forced to suspend services in June after significant vandalism.
According to the BBC, the costs of damage incurred to bikes in Inverness and Fort William rose to as much as £100,000 ($134,000), with some found crashed and broken and others thrown into local rivers.
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Since the bikes were brought to the north of the country in 2021, HiTrans' Hi-Bikes had clocked up 40,000 rides until the suspension. Access to bikes was reinstated at the end of July, although only 50% of the bikes were made available, partly because some bikes were no longer functional.
Among the changes made, the bikes were reintroduced with smaller front baskets to discourage cyclists from carrying passengers.
Ranald Robinson, the partnership director of HiTrans, noted this was a particular problem.
"It is disappointing that a small minority of people are misusing the system," they told the BBC.
"Those who choose to ride the bikes with others sitting in the basket will have their membership suspended should this be reported, while any and all incidents of vandalism are being reported to Police Scotland and the British Transport Police."
HiTrans Project Manager Chris Finlay told the Inverness Courier that increased security measures had been introduced to both bikes and docking stations — the latter had also witnessed damage from people trying to force bikes from the charging technology.
It's an unfortunate situation that will now hopefully improve, as the scheme was a reasonable success before its suspension.
In addition to giving residents in Inverness and Fort William greater freedom to travel, the availability of electric bikes would likely have prevented a number of car journeys, helping to lower the production of planet-warming pollution in the area. In fact, National Geographic cited a University of Oxford study that found using a bike rather than a car once a day helps lower individual transportation pollution by 67%.
This would have also improved air quality — with vehicle emissions leading to an increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses for residents — and allowed for greater opportunities to exercise.
For those who swap their car for a bike — whether it's an electric one or entirely human-powered — they'll also find they are a lot cheaper to run.
Here's to hoping the bikes will be treated a little better in the future, considering the benefits they bring to the whole community.
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