The writing was on the wall for Dundee’s e-bikes back in November last year when company Ride-On Scotland announced it was putting them in storage for the winter.
Promises from the company’s Madrid-based boss Sara Ylipoti that the e-bike scheme would be back better than ever in springtime never really rung true.
After all, the firm’s previous pledges to expand across the city had not come to much either.
But Ride-On Scotland’s slip into administration and the presumed end of Dundee’s e-bike scheme is no less sad for that.
Many tourists, visitors and other day-trippers rode the distinctive machines, sponsored by Dundee-based financial firm Embark.
The journey between Broughty Ferry and the V&A Dundee was the most popular.
But therein lies the problem for a scheme aiming to take cars off the road and provide a genuine commuting option.
How will council proceed after loss of Embark Dundee e-bikes?
The city still has a long way to go before that will feel like a safe choice for many people.
It takes a confident cyclist to pedal up Lochee Road or climb the hill from City Quay to Stobswell. But it was often novice cyclists or tourists who opted to use the e-bikes.
Cost and complexity were also factors in the scheme.
The council has plans to change cycling in the city, of course. It is proposing to build ‘active freeways’ linking Dundee communities in a way more common with its tourist hot spots.
It will be interesting to see how that progresses in these times of huge challenge for local government finance.
But for now, the city is left saying goodbye to a laudable initiative that was in the end unable to deliver on its initial promise.
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