The pioneer network of 20 electric bicycles, with charging points in Carvoeiro, Ferragudo and Senhora da Rocha, is already installed in the municipality of Lagoa, but will only come into operation in January. This Thursday was already experienced by a group of 20 lucky ones, including mayors and journalists.
The Public Bicycle System of Lagoa was a project chosen by the citizens, through the Participatory Budget of the municipality of Lagoa and brings to the municipality another attraction for tourists and residents.
The Public Bicycle System will serve both for daily commuting and leisure trips, being a fun and healthy way to visit Lagoa, its beaches and many cultural attractions.
The Lagoa Public Bicycle System is also innovative, as it is the first system of smart bikes in Portugal and one of the first in Europe.
All the technology behind this system was created by a Portuguese company, the bikeemotion, while the day-to-day operations of the system will also be ensured by a national company, the wegoshare.
Electric bicycles, as well as the stations and docks themselves, are produced by Bewegen Technologies Inc, whose representative was in the Algarve yesterday for the launch of this innovative project. This company, despite being Canadian, developed a project in partnership with the University of Aveiro, to which the other two companies are linked.
Daniel Ferreira, general director of wegoshare, explained to Sul Informação that the bicycles installed in the municipality of Lagoa are «the fourth generation of electric, automatic, intelligent bicycles, equipped with GPS and 3G communications for route recording and anti-theft protection, in permanent contact with the central server, and which can be used simply, using a smartphone».
“These bikes are the top of what is being done at the moment, worldwide. Like these, in Europe, they are only available in Germany…and within two weeks in Barreiro», revealed Daniel Ferreira.
«This sustainable and intelligent mobility is the future!», guaranteed, for his part, Francisco Martins, Mayor of Lagoa and one of the first to try the electric bicycle, in statements to the Sul Informação.
“We have been focusing on creating conditions to promote sustainable mobility. In addition to the creation of this Public Bicycle System, which is the result of an idea presented by a citizen in the Participatory Budget of Lagoa, we are also going to invest in the creation of bicycle paths throughout the county», added the mayor.
To start with, there will be two cycle paths: one between Carvoeiro and Rocha Brava, «to serve the hotels that exist along this road, for a length of about three kilometers», and another, shorter, between «Ponte do Arade and the Parchal». Afterwards, Francisco Martins revealed, there is also the idea of building a third cycle path, linking Senhora da Rocha and Alporchinhos to Vale de Olival and Armação de Pêra. All in the name of sustainable mobility.
Electric bikes from wegoshare they are also made with safety in mind, so if it rains, «the engine will have less power, to generate less speed and avoid an accident». On the other hand, due to the fact that they are equipped with GPS, "if the bicycle is passing, for example, near a school, a playground, it also slows down, for safety reasons," said Daniel Ferreira.
The idea of installing a network of electric and intelligent bicycles in the municipality of Lagoa was proposed by the citizen, Luís Cortes, at the Participatory Budget meetings. "I came to live in Lagoa and, as I don't have a car and public transport works poorly, I thought that a shared bicycle system would be a good idea," explained the young Luís Cortes, who yesterday tried the bicycles and received it from the president of the Câmara de Lagoa a diploma and a plaque alluding to the completion of the project proposed by you.
From January onwards, the network will be “fully operational”, revealed Daniel Ferreira, but during the first two months of the year, while it is tested in practice and the details are worked out, it will only be available for use by residents in the municipality of Lagoon.
"In March, it will be open to all, residents and visitors, in full operation for the Easter tourist flood," added the general director of the wegoshare.
In total, the installation of the network costs 125 thousand euros, of which 65 thousand euros are supported by the Municipality of Lagoa and 60 thousand by the Wegoshare. “Operating costs, sustainability and future expansions of the system will be financed by advertising and sponsorship revenues, as well as by bicycle rental revenues,” explained Daniel Ferreira.
And how then can you ride these electric bikes? How much? “Bikes can be automatically rented using a membership card (pass type) or through mobile apps for iPhone e Android».
There is a “positive discrimination” for Lagoa residents, who will have access to biannual or annual subscriptions, which allow unlimited use of bicycles. These subscriptions will have a special price for residents, from 9 euros per month. To enroll, a resident in Lagoa will only have to access the website system, present proof of residence and complete the form.
On the other hand, tourists or visitors who are on vacation in Lagoa will have access to a “Pass” that can go from one day to a month, with prices starting at 18 euros per day. Hourly rentals (1, 2, or 4 hours) will also be available, with prices starting at 5 euros per hour. Tourists and visitors, in addition to being able to take care of everything at the website, will also be able to use the electronic kiosks that will be installed in each of the stations.
The bicycles have a range of 70 kilometers. In addition to being equipped with GPS, all bicycles and charging and parking stations have alarms and anti-theft and anti-vandalism mechanisms.
After this first presentation, to residents, journalists and mayors, there will be other actions to demonstrate and experiment with bicycles in the community of Lagoa, as well as specific dissemination initiatives for local businesses and hotels, to make them aware of the system and the ways you can also use it to get new recipes.
"A wegoshare believes that this system of public bicycles, like others, is a huge asset, both for the population and for tourism in the Algarve region», stressed Daniel Ferreira.
«It goes far beyond being just rental bicycles, having everything to assert itself as an alternative to nearby public transport. Naturally, they are also an excellent vehicle to visit the region and get to know all the good things we have around here, in a fun and healthy way», he added.
“We are very excited about this project, which we hope will be the first stone for an expansion to the entire Algarve region”, concluded the general director of wegoshare.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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