Deal Launches Two e-Cycling Schemes In One Day
Published: 30 July 2021
Deal Town Council and Cycle Friendly Deal are excited to launch a new e-bike hire scheme today, alongside the official launch of a Kent County Council E-Cycle training scheme.
The two new e-cycling schemes offer numerous positive benefits for residents and visitors, including:
- Healthy, active travel for residents and visitors across Deal and the surrounding area;
- Environmentally-friendly travel options for exploring the beauty of White Cliffs Country – Deal, Dover, Sandwich and beyond;
- Equipping e-cyclists with the skills and confidence to use e-bikes more often, including safely on roads as an alternative to short car journeys.
Based at Tides Leisure Centre (Your Leisure) in Deal, the Deal Town Council & Coastal Communities Fund funded e-bike hire scheme will also bring the joy of cycling to new audiences, including those who are not regular cyclists or who have not cycled for a long time.
It comes after the UK Government’s lifting of most of the remaining Covid restrictions in England and while many will be enjoying a summer of staycations for the school summer break.
Deal is one of only two locations in Kent where the visionary, Kent County Council e-Cycle Training Scheme is available, following a successful Department for Transport bid from Kent County Council’s Kent Cycle Training Team; a bid supported by Dover District Council’s Tourism & Visitor Economy Department.
The bookable courses, run by Kent Cycle Training, aim to equip cyclists to ride e-bikes safely and confidently on the highway. E-bikes provide a sustainable alternative to frequent short car journeys and enable e-cyclists to enjoy their e-bikes to the full.
Together the two new cycle schemes work in perfect harmony, embrace a summer of daycations and staycations and present new even more exciting opportunities for both residents of, and visitors to, Deal, White Cliffs Country and Kent.
KCC Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport David Brazier said: “E-bikes are the answer for people like me who are starting to find the hills a struggle or who are not regular cyclists. My e-bike gives me enormous pleasure but riding it and looking after it is not the same as for an ordinary bike. Kent Cycle Training’s courses in Deal and Canterbury will be ideal for keeping e-cyclists safe and enjoying their bikes to the full.”
Councillor Chris Turner, the Mayor of Deal said: ““The launch of the Deal-e-Bike Hire Scheme is another significant step for the Cycle Friendly Deal initiative. The project, which was jointly funded for its first two years by the Coastal Communities Fund and Deal Town Council, will continue to promote and champion cycling here in Deal. The work with the Kent Cycle Training Team is just one example of how we can work together to encourage more active travel.”
Ian Barker Head of Community and funding for Your Leisure said: “We are very proud to be able to partner Deal Town Council in providing access to the Deal-e-bike scheme. Our mission is to improve the health, wellbeing and lifestyle of our communities and this initiative is another way to do that. The bikes are located at our Tides Leisure Centre, which is easily accessed and provides a great starting point to explore our beautiful White Cliffs Country coastline and countryside. With batteries that provide a range of up to 80 kilometres, the Deal-e-Bikes are the perfect way to open up the health benefits of cycling to those who may not currently be active, and the perfect way for day-trippers and “staycationers” to fully explore this beautiful part of Kent”
Tim Ingleton, Head of Tourism and Inward Investment at Dover District Council said: “As we embrace a summer of staycations and daycations, it’s the perfect time to launch these exciting e-cycle schemes, which enable more people to experience the pleasure of Deal and White Cliffs Country, as well as the enjoyment of e-cycling and active travel. It’s fantastic that the suitability of Deal for e-cycle training was recognised and we are proud to support this initiative to develop the skills and confidence of e-cyclists for more frequent use of e-bikes, here in White Cliffs Country. As a District Council, we champion walking, cycling and active travel and are delighted that these Cycle Friendly Deal and Kent Cycle Training schemes are now available to all our residents and visitors, both current and future. My sincere thanks go to everyone involved in the delivery of these initiatives, especially Deal Town Council, Kent County Council and the Department for Transport.”