German company providing West Midlands bike share scheme sparks criticism

[dutchman]

A German company building bicycles for a West Midlands bike share scheme has prompted anger



Liberal Democrats have hit out at West Midlands mayor Andy Street and transport advisors at Transport for West Midlands, (TfWM), after they opted for German-made nextbikes for the region’s first bike share scheme.

They accused them of ignoring long-established Midlands bicycle manufacturers Dawes in Castle Bromwich and Pashley in Stratford. Pashley is already producing London’s Santander cycles, previously nicknamed Boris Bikes.

Lib Dems say the move took no account of local jobs and investment, and it was yet another blow for the region’s manufacturing sector ahead of Brexit.

Areas across the West Midlands – including Coventry – will benefit from over 2,000 ‘congestion busting’ bikes by September according to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). A further 3,000 bikes will be rolled out in phases across Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Solihull by 2019.

Dominic Skinner, Lib-Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Stratford, said: “It is ironic that our own local business is producing Santander’s new bikes for London, but that their ‘home city’, Birmingham, has opted to purchase bikes from Germany.

“It is hard to fathom this decision as we enter Brexit Britain where ‘taking back control’ and being able to source more locally to drive local investment, local jobs and a circular economy was ostensibly part of the rationale for this decision.”

Solihull borough Lib Dem spokesperson Coun Ade Adeyemo called it a “slap in the face” for West Midlands businesses.

He added: “This short-sighted decision to award the bike-production contract to a Leipzig-based company sends out all the wrong signals at a time when so many local businesses are under pressure and facing uncertainty about the future.

“I am shocked that local companies based here in the West Midlands have been overlooked in favour of a German competitor.”

Pashley Cycles general manager Steve Bell was equally unhappy at the award of the contract to Germany.

He said: “Having the bikes built in our factory in Stratford would have generated a further ten new jobs which will now be based in Leipzig. Buying these bikes from Germany is essentially supporting the German Mittelstand (smaller businesses) and turning our back on our own hard pressed medium-sized businesses here in the Midlands.

“We are a family-owned company investing in sourcing UK made goods, made by local people.

“With Brexit just around the corner we need to support our own companies, not at a higher cost of course, but at the

same or better value for money than those sourced overseas.”

The bike share controversy comes in the same week questions were raised over government plans for British passports to be manufactured in France.

The Observer is awaiting a response from the West Midlands Combined Authority.

[dutchman]

Mayor's 'Boris Bike' cycle-sharing scheme for the West Midlands has failed



West Midlands Mayor Andy Street's flagship bike-share scheme has been a failure, officials have admitted.

So far just 25 of the 5,000 promised bicycles have been delivered.

The mayor promised a scheme similar to the so-called "Boris Bikes" in London, which cyclists can borrow at locations across the capital.

The aim was to provide 5,000 bikes and hundreds of docking stations across Birmingham, Wolverhampton , Coventry, Walsall , Sandwell , Dudley and Solihull.

But five months after a pilot scheme was launched in Wolverhampton in February, progress has ground to a halt.

German firm nextbike was contracted to provide the vehicles.

But a briefing note prepared by officials at Transport for the West Midlands - the transport arm of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which the Mayor chairs - warns: "Under the contract agreed last year nextbike committed to deliver 5,000 bikes across the West Midlands with the first batch arriving by September 2018, with the reminder rolling out in 2019.

"Despite numerous promises to get the scheme up and running to date it has only provided 25 bikes for a limited trial in Wolverhampton City Centre."

The note reveals that nextbike is now offering to provide "a fraction of the total bike numbers" originally planned - and says Transport for the West Midlands is terminating the contract, and will start looking for a different supplier.

Labour MP Liam Byrne (Lab Hodge Hill) said: "Our Tory mayor promised his Boris-bike scheme would be 'a revolution' but what it seems we've got is a chaotic, juddering mess.

"Just when we need to speed up the cycling revolution it seems the wheels are coming off.

"I don't know why our Tory mayor can't organise a cycling scheme in what was once the capital of Britain's cycling industry. But I know I speak for cyclists, old and new, when I say we'd like some answers."

A Transport for the West Midlands spokesperson said: "Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has terminated its contract with nextbike after persistent breaches by the provider.

"TfWM remains committed to providing a bike share scheme for the West Midlands and is considering alternative options."

[rebbonk]

Street is an unnecessary and expensive waste of space

[dutchman]

It's the West Midlands County Council all over again. They haven't learned from the first disaster.

[rebbonk]

It's the West Midlands County Council all over again. They haven't learned from the first disaster.

That's the problem when you play with other people's money: you just don't learn the lesson. Now, if Street was personally 'fined' from his own wages for every failure, things might get better. - I can dream!