With the EU encouraging the trend towards electric mobility, municipalities in Greece are receiving funding for the purchase of electric bicycles and ancillary equipment. The rules for operating a system of public electric bicycles in Platanias were agreed by the Municipal Council at a meeting on Tuesday 13th August.

Base stations for the bicycles have already been installed at 6 points in the Municipality (the Plateia in Vatolakkos, the town hall at Alikianos, the DEYAVA offices at Gerani, outside the Health Centre in Maleme, the Plateia in Tavronitis, and the Plateia in Voukolies).

Explaining the system, the mayor Giannis Malandrakis said that the bikes will be provided free to users with the use of a card linked to the TAXIS system. The regulations also lay down what will happen in the event of an accident, or if the bike is vandalised and the cost to the user in these cases (there will be a charge of €2,600 if the bike is not returned to its base.)

At the meeting, Municipal Councillor Ioannis Kasselakis said that the regulations need to be translated into other languages since it is expected that the bikes will also be used by visitors, while minority opposition leader Dimitris Anthousis described the move as “a positive initiative which is taking place in all the big cities.” … “There are technical problems and often ignorance on the part of the public, but the main question is on which part of the infrastructure electric bikes can be ridden,” he said.

Asked by Mr Anthousis who will be responsible for the maintenance of the system, the mayor said that the agreement makes the contractor responsible for a period of a year, and after that a tender for the service will be issued by the Municipality.

The linking of the users with their TAXIS accounts would clearly facilitate the recovery of funds in the case of damage and non-return of bikes, but presumably a different system using a debit or credit card would have to be set up for visitors who do not have a tax number.
(Haniotika Nea 13/08/24)

EU policies on cycling
For the EU, the promotion of cycling is part of the Green Deal – the policy platform which embodies the Union’s ambition to progressively reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to achieve climate neutrality for the continent by the year 2050. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on developing an EU cycling strategy in February 2023, and in November last year the European Commission published its proposal for a European Declaration on Cycling. Among the points made in the preamble to the declaration are the following:

“Sustainable forms of transport are essential for achieving the EU’s climate, zero pollution and energy efficiency objectives. Among these, cycling is one of the most sustainable, healthy and efficient, with considerable potential to support the decarbonisation of urban transport…
“Cycling comprises a broad and dynamic range of human-powered road vehicles [which] cater for a wide range of transport and mobility needs and require appropriate infrastructure. Cycling is playing an increasingly important role in the urban transport of goods, in particular parcel deliveries and shopping. …
“Cycling improves social inclusiveness, contributing to people’s physical and mental health and well-being. It is a moderate physical activity that reduces health risks and premature deaths linked with sedentary lifestyles. …
“More and better safe cycling infrastructure across the EU is essential to attract more people to cycling, in and between urban and rural areas. Better cycling infrastructure will also benefit other means, such as micro-mobility solutions.
“Funding dedicated to cycling – at local, national and European levels – is needed to match the ambition to get more people cycling. An appropriate level of investment is a prerequisite for significantly improving cycling conditions and maintaining infrastructure.”

Many European cities over the past decade have adopted free bike-sharing schemes, some of which have foundered on the logistical and other problems of running such schemes, including vandalism and the need to ship large quantities of bikes across cities to ensure an even supply. However, Chania has been running a bike sharing scheme since September 2015, and has issued periodic press releases suggesting that it is a success. The introduction of electric bikes will entail new levels of administrative complication, with the need to ensure that bikes are fully charged before use, etc – at least, unlike electric cars, electric bikes when they run out of charge can be ridden home. As a “green” means of transport, the electric bikes in Platanias could possibly become a popular choice for ecotourism, especially in an area where bus services off the main highways are sparse.

For the full text of the European declaration on Cycling, see: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-11/European_Declaration_on_Cycling_en_0.pdf