August 17, 2010 11.30 am This story is over 163 months old

Scheme to get Lincoln students ‘cycLIN’

Pedalling forward: The University of Lincoln will be introduce a bike hire scheme this September to fight carbon emissions.

From September, the University of Lincoln will be encouraging students to loan bikes to travel. The scheme, named cycLIN, was set up together with Sustrans, and aims to keep carbon emissions down as well as keeping people fit and healthy.

CycLIN will be ready in time for Freshers’ Week on September 19. The cost of the bike loan is a one-off yearly deposit of £100, and this gets you a new Evans Pinnacle Stratus hybrid bike, a bike lock and lights for dark nights, worth almost £300.

Throughout the year, students can also attend sessions about how to look after their bike and ask any questions they have about cycling. There is also a ‘bike buddy’ system, for the more confident riders to help those who are newer to cycling.

However at present, there are only 69 0f the bikes available, despite over 10,000 students coming at the University of Lincoln.

Forensic Science student Vicky Drury (21) doubts she would use the scheme: “I wouldn’t be interested as I live at the top of the hill so physically couldn’t bike up it. If I lived in student halls I would walk, as all my mates would be walking back to same area, so I wouldn’t want to go back on my own on a bike.

“Everything is also in walking distance. I would be more interested in a day rental rather than whole year for bike rides and things. If I was taking part in the scheme I would definitely go to a class, but probably only once.”

The hire scheme comes after universities across the country have begun adopting various bike loaning projects to great success. The University of Leeds run a similar scheme with Velocampus, who began bike hiring in select areas in 1997. In Newcastle, students can hire bikes for a little as 50p by texting their whereabouts to unlock the bike code.

For students interested in trying to get one of the 69 hybrid bikes available, Sustrans will be on the University’s Brayford campus throughout Freshers’ Week, or they can enquire about cycLIN at the Sports Centre.

Sustrans have also been working alongside the City of Lincoln Council to develop new or improved routes for cyclists across the city. For more information on routes around the city, you can access our city cycle routes (PDF).

There are also other cycling activities not just for students in the city. Family fun days, competitions and more can be found on Sustrans’ website.