A new bike hire scheme would be a waste of time unless more routes are built, according to some of the city’s cyclists.

Worcester City Council is planning to roll out a new city-wide cycle hire scheme that would make 225 bikes, including 175 e-bikes, available for hire from more than 50 locations across the city.

But while the move has been hailed as a “huge step forward” by cyclists – many remain concerned a shortage of cycle routes would render the scheme useless for many.

READ MORE: First plan for new 10,000-home Worcestershire Parkway town revealed

The warning was made by city cycling campaigners Bike Worcester as city councillors discussed awarding the contract for the new cycle hire scheme at a meeting in the Guildhall on Monday (October 23).

Rob Collier, secretary of Bike Worcester, told councillors that while the new bike hire scheme was a huge turning point, the county’s “hostile reputation” towards cycling and the lack of proper infrastructure would put off inexperienced riders.

He said many of the lacklustre routes between the 50 proposed ‘drop-off’ points for bikes across the city would be “extremely unpalatable” for novice or inexperienced cyclists.

“The lack of routes poses a very significant and maybe insurmountable barrier for users of the cycle hire scheme,” he added. “What assurances do we have as a city from the county council that new routes will be established to support the adoption of trips by bike?”

READ MORE: Here's how secondary schools in Worcestershire are performing

Bike Worcester said it had been campaigning for many years to bring more cycling routes to the city but “little progress had been made.”

“We hope that this scheme yields a new day for cycling in Worcester.”

Cllr Steve Cockeram said the bike here scheme was a “huge step forward” for Worcester but the city “still had a lot of work to do” to improve cycling infrastructure and make it bike-friendly.

Councillors agreed to hand the four-year contract to a so-far-unknown provider at the meeting on Monday.

Last year, Worcestershire County Council was one of only a handful of local authorities to be given the worst possible ‘zero’ rating by Active Travel England – the government body responsible for handling walking and cycling money – and told to make improvements before it could access any money.

READ MORE: Worcestershire to get £3 million of HS2 money to improve bus service

“Worcestershire has a reputation nationally for being a really hostile place for cycling and our name proceeds us,” Mr Collier said. “If I go to events or talk to other campaigners around the country, they offer their sympathies to me and to others for being from Worcestershire.

“We’re known as an area where cycling is really difficult.

“We have a zero rating from Active Travel England for cycling infrastructure… I think that’s a really important context to consider when we’re thinking about the cycle hire scheme.”

Last year, Worcestershire County Council was among only a handful of local authorities to be given the worst possible ‘zero’ rating by Active Travel England – the government body responsible for handling walking and cycling money – and told to make improvements before it could access any money.

A three-year ‘public space protection order’ (PSPO) by Worcester City Council came into force in March 2021 and prohibits ‘dangerous’ cycling as well as ‘aggressive’ begging, skateboarding, and feeding gulls throughout the city centre – with fines of up to £100 handed to those caught breaking the rules.

The ‘pay as you ride’ bike hire scheme would come with a £1 ‘unlocking’ fee and riders would then be charged 8p a minute for a pedal bike and 16p a minute for an e-bike.

It is hoped the scheme would be up and running by May next year.

The city council said it was aiming to give 85 per cent of residents the chance to access a bike within a five-minute walk from their homes.

The £700,000 bike hire scheme will be funded using the almost £20 million the city was given by the government from the Towns Fund in 2021.

The multi-million-pound bid included regeneration plans for Shrub Hill, the new Kepax walking and cycling bridge from Gheluvelt Park and the new medical school in Hylton Road.

Cllr Mike Rouse, cabinet member for highways and transport at Worcestershire County Council, wrote to city council managing director David Blake to lend his support to the bike hire scheme but did not comment on Bike Worcester’s concerns.