Residents of the inner north may soon have the opportunity to jump on a bike share e-bike when they need to make a trip across the Merri-bek municipality.
The council has launched consultation on a possible trial of 150-250 e-bikes in a bike share scheme that would start at the southern border where schemes already operate in the cities of Melbourne and Yarra.
This first phase would operate for 12 months and, if successful, could expand in four future phases to the north.
Merri-bek says this phased approach is designed to allow it to monitor and evaluate the trial and respond to any issues that come up before expanding the trial or committing to a permanent change.
To maximise safety for road users and minimise the impacts of the trial, shared e-bike parking bays would be designated across the operating zones.
During the trial, shared e-bikes must be parked in one of these designated parking bays when users are finished with their ride.
These parking bays may be located either on road or on the footpath, depending on the space available and appropriate locations.
The council said it would be determining 'slow' or 'no-go' areas where the shared bikes will be required to travel at a reduced speed limit or not allowed to ride.
Parking bay locations and slow or no-go areas will be selected based on community feedback and technical analysis.
Merri-bek is seeking feedback on the proposed locations of the parking bays and the slow and no-go locations.
You can take an on-line survey and attend pop-up information sessions.
Feedback is open until 15 June 2025.
A comprehensive report on how the trial should operate will be taken to councillors for endorsement in August. If councillors support the approach, the trial will commence in early 2026.
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