Tag: #LIME

Go-Ahead Ireland and Lime Partner in Driver Safety Campaign

Lime, the world’s largest shared e-bike and e-scooter provider, has announced a safety partnership with Go-Ahead Ireland (GAI). The partnership will see the two companies working together to increase awareness e-bike and e-scooter riders for Go-Ahead Ireland’s bus drivers, helping them to better navigate sharing the road ahead of the passing of e-scooter legislation next year.

Bus drivers in Go-Ahead’s Ballymount and Naas depots will be provided with practical guidance in the form of a safety manual which will provide tips and methods for drivers to safely share Irish roads safely with e-scooter riders and cyclists. The manual will include background information on e-scooters and e-bikes as new modes of green transport, as well as reminders for bus drivers on blind spots, particularly on roads where there is not dedicated cycling infrastructure.

In order for GAI bus drivers to put the programme into practice, Lime will provide e-scooters and e-bikes to the company. The vehicles will help the drivers to understand first-hand what it is like to ride an e-scooter and/or e-bike alongside buses, and how to interact on roads safely.

GAI provides all of its drivers with professional training before they begin driving on the network. This includes theory testing and NCT qualifications, and all drivers also must have Certificates of Professional Competence (CPC) cards issued by the Road Safety Authority. Drivers also receive training on the specific routes they will be driving on before entering service.

Nicole Quadrelli, Risk Manager for Go-Ahead Ireland said: “More and more people are travelling by e-bike and e-scooter, and with some bus routes do not yet have dedicated cycle lane infrastructure. It’s really important to us in GAI that we make sure all our drivers are safely and respectfully sharing the road with cyclists and e-scooter users alike. We are delighted to be partnered with Lime in anticipation of the roll out of its e-scooter sharing services in Ireland next year”.

Hal Stevenson, Lime Senior Public Affairs Manager for Ireland said: “The safety of all road users is a priority for Lime everywhere we operate, which is why we are committed to working closely with Go-Ahead Ireland, and wider stakeholders to make sure everyone feels confident sharing Ireland’s roads. Lime and GAI ultimately have the same goal, which is to shift people from their cars and onto shared, more sustainable ways of traveling like cycling, e-scooters, and public transport. Lime’s services are designed to complement public transport networks, offering first and last mile solutions to users”.

Lime is committed to ensuring e-scooter and e-bike riders understand the rules of the road and riding best practice, alongside drivers. It provides safety training to e-scooter riders via its First Ride Academy in all the cities it operates services in. This in-person course provides practical training for riders, including how to inspect scooters for safety before each journey, and how to safely ride.

Despite the fact that e-scooters are currently still not legal to use on public roads in Ireland, their popularity has been increasing in recent years. The Road and Road Traffic Bill 2021, which will allow for their use, is currently making its way through the Seanad. In the interim, and in anticipation of future sharing schemes, the partnership will help to foster a better understanding between bus drivers and e-scooter users. The partnership may also lead to the provision of Lime’s shared e-bikes to GAI employees via long term loans to encourage more sustainable commuting choices.

Lime’s partnership with GAI is part of its commitment to invest €10 million in its Irish operations as it looks to launch e-bike and e-scooter sharing schemes in towns and cities across the country. Last month Lime launched a 12-month shared e-bike pilot in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, which will see up to 100 bikes available for hire in virtual parking bays across the town. Lime also hopes to launch its e-scooter sharing service in Ireland next year following the passing of legislation and regulations to make e-scooters legal on Irish roads.

Lime establishes Irish Disability Advisory Board to ensure safe and responsible rollout of shared micromobility services

Lime – the world’s largest shared electric vehicle company – has today announced the establishment of an Irish Disability Advisory Board ahead of its expected rollout of e-scooter and e-bike sharing services in Irish towns and cities next year.

The Irish Wheelchair Association and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) will be founding members of the board, which will also be supported by local cycling organisations. The group is being established to help ensure that Lime’s for-hire e-scooter and e-bike services are designed in a safe and responsible way, without negatively impacting local residents or visitors with disabilities or access needs. Lime welcomes further applications from relevant organisations to the Board.

John Fulham, Public Engagement Manager for the Irish Wheelchair Association said, “Irish Wheelchair Association welcomes the opportunity to be involved in Lime’s Irish Disability Advisory Board, where we can offer our advice and represent the voice of people with disabilities as the country prepares for the official introduction of e-scooters in Ireland. It is important that the voice of disabled people is heard and represented in the discussions from as early a stage as is possible.”

Lorna Fitzpatrick, Advocacy and Engagement Manager at NCBI said, “NCBI is happy to participate in Lime’s Irish Disability Advisory Board to share our views that are reflective of the experiences of people who are blind or vision impaired across the country. It is of paramount importance that the experiences of people living with sight loss and all people with access and  mobility requirements are heard and considered as Lime prepares to create a presence in Ireland.”

Hal Stevenson, Lime Senior Public Affairs Manager for Lime in Ireland said, “Safety and inclusivity are central to Lime’s services, wherever we operate, so we’re really proud to be setting up our Irish Disability Advisory Board ahead of the launch of our services here next year. Each organisation provides a different perspective, and their insights and opinions will help us to design and deliver services that can have a positive impact across all communities.”

The Board’s first meeting will take place in July and will meet on a quarterly basis thereafter. Minutes and actions will be recorded during each meeting and shared with Lime’s partner local authorities to ensure full transparency and accountability. The group will be consulted ahead of Lime implementing any new products or service changes in Ireland. Lime will also provide opportunities for the Board to collaborate with its pre-existing Northern European Disability Advisory Board.

Following recent delays to e-scooter legislation in Ireland, Lime is expecting to launch services here in 2023. Commenting on delays to the Government’s legislation to regulate e-scooters, Stevenson added,  “the delays to legislation are unfortunate and prevent safer and more sustainable use of e-scooters in Ireland. Lime is using this additional time to work with the policy makers to ensure  that when regulations are passed they are progressive and proportionate, helping to create a future of transport in Ireland that is shared, green and affordable.”

Ride easy with new biking features in Google Maps #Cycling #GoogleMaps #BikeShare

Summer is in full swing and people across the world are opting to hop on their bikes. Coming in at no. 22, Ireland ranks among the top 30 countries in the world in terms of biking directions usage in Google Maps.  Since February, requests for cycling directions in Google Maps have jumped by 69 percent—hitting an all-time high last month.

In Ireland, Google Maps have seen requests for cycling directions increase by 76% and search interest for “bike repair near me” more than doubled over the past year. Whether people are hitting the road to get their heart pumping or commute safely during COVID-19, Google Maps is making it easier for cyclists everywhere to get on their own bike or a shared one.

Ten years ago, Google introduced biking directions in Google Maps. Now it’s available in nearly 30 countries around the world and millions of people use it every day. As biking habits change, especially as things evolve with COVID-19, we’re constantly updating this information to help you uncover the most reliable bike route.

 

Raise the (handle)bar on biking routes

 

To give you the most up-to-date bike route, Google Maps uses a combination of machine learning, complex algorithms and an understanding of real-world conditions based on imagery and data from government authorities and community contributions. Google Maps also consider various forms of bike lanes and nearby streets that might be less friendly for your two wheels (like tunnels, stairs and poor surface conditions) so you can have the best and smoothest biking route. You can also see how flat or steep your route will be, so you’ll know if you’re in for an easy breezy ride or one that will really get the heart pumping.

 

However, the best route can always change and we are hard at work to reflect new information. For instance, due to COVID-19, many cities are adding and widening bike lanes to encourage cycling and accommodate more riders. Google Maps is already working to integrate hundreds of thousands of new bike lanes in the coming months. Local government agencies can provide this data through the Geo Data Upload tool to have their latest bike lane information reflected in Google Maps.

 

Gear up for new docked bikeshare directions in 10 cities

 

As more people choose to cycle, they’re buying new bikes, fixing up old ones and turning to bike sharing options. In fact, worldwide search interest for “bike repair near me” hit an all-time high this month—more than double what it was last year.

 

For riders opting to use bike sharing, Google Maps is rolling out more detailed information. Over the last several years, Google have launched a dockless bike and scooter integration with Lime in more than 100 cities and introduced real-time docked bikeshare information to help travellers in select cities locate bike sharing stations and real-time availability. With bikeshare providers seeing sharp increases in usage during COVID-19, it’s even more important to quickly and easily check how many bikes are available at the station you’re headed toward and if there are docks available to drop off your bike near your destination.

 

Starting today, when you look up biking directions, you’ll see end-to-end directions that include docked bikeshare information. Steps will include detailed walking directions to bikeshare stations near your starting point along with live bike availability, turn-by-turn cycling directions to the bikeshare station closest to your destination with live dock availability, and, finally, walking directions from there to your final destination. And, for some cities, Maps will show you links to open the relevant bikeshare app to book and unlock the bike.