New electric bike park-and-ride trial for commuters

Tuesday 11 May 2021

Commuters are being encouraged to park along Victoria Avenue and then use an electric bike to complete their journey under a new Government-supported scheme.

It has signed a partnership with EVie to make better use of underused, half-price car parking in lay-bys along the front.

There will have dedicated stations for EVie electric bikes in the third and sixth lay-bys, in addition to other bike rack locations between St. Aubin and the Waterfront.

A Ministerial Decision signed by Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis read: “The six-month trial of the EVie Park and Ride scheme from lay-bys 3 and 6 on Victoria Avenue will enable reliable data to be gathered which will be used to determine whether the scheme continues or not. 

“Support for the trial is in line with the aims of the Sustainable Transport Policy by helping to encourage alternative methods of transport which are less damaging to the environment and which help to reduce congestion within the St. Helier Ring Road. This is also in line with the decision of the States for the Island to become carbon neutral by 2030.”

Pictured: The third and sixth lay-bys along Victoria Avenue will each have two spaces reserved for EVie bikes.

Two parking spaces in each of the two laybys, where parking costs £4.40 a day compared to £7.92 in town, have been set aside for EVie bikes. The four spaces have been given to EVie free of charge during the pilot scheme.

EVie will promote the scheme during the trial and will be responsible for gathering all appropriate data to be used to evaluate the success of the scheme. This data will be shared with the Infrastructure, Housing and Environment department throughout the trial.

An EVie spokesperson said: “There is an abundance of underused, half-price, car parking within a short cycling distance of St. Helier. 

“EVie is bringing these car parking spaces into closer, more convenient reach of town by providing EVieBikes at two dedicated Park&Ride spaces. Islanders can now take advantage of cheaper parking near town, grab an EVieBike and cycle on to their final destination.

“A 10-minute EVieBike journey from their car to central St. Helier will cost just £1. That's a £2 return trip - a great way to save money on parking and fuel.”