Penny Mordaunt pushes for 'Boris bike' style scheme in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth is in a state of transformation and regeneration, with record levels of tourists visiting all parts of the city. Portsmouth is hosting more world-class events such as Victorious festival and the America's Cup. The University of Portsmouth is expanding its offering, and as a result student accommodation is growing at an impressive rate.
As many local residents and visitors to the city will agree, parking is becoming more difficult in many parts of the city — especially on Portsea island. Initiatives such as Portsmouth Park & Ride have been implemented to try and tackle the ever increasing traffic problems as regeneration t o the city continues.
Now, Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt is looking to implement a 'Boris Bike' style scheme within the city in an aid to tackle some of the congestion woes.
Penny Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth North, said: "We need a number of schemes to help people use alternatives to the car. With the help of colleagues and transport experts I’ve been looking at whether a Boris Bike scheme would work in Portsmouth. I met with the roads minister (Jesse Norman MP) this week to discuss the details of making a scheme viable and the learnings from London, as well as the need for quite routes for both commuters and leisure cycling in the city. I think it could work here with the right commercial support.
"Much of the costs associated with the scheme are from moving bikes around London, but from previous surveys I think people are likely to make round trips. People who want to cycle for leisure also are put off having a bike because they don’t want to maintain it, or don’t have the space to keep one. I can see local residents using the scheme as well as visitors to the city. I'm keen to canvass the views of the wider public to feed into this idea and to garner if there is widespread support for such a scheme.”
Penny Mordaunt has also spoken directly to Boris Johnson about his experiences of setting up the scheme.
Take part and express your opinions on the scheme in the online survey at www.pennymordaunt.com or by visiting Penny Mordaunt's Facebook page here: facebook.com/PennyMordauntOfficial