As part of our investment into active travel, the Active Travel Hub will undergo some exciting developments to improve and expand the service that has been in place since 2016. 

The hub, based at the Transport Interchange on Eldon Street in the town centre, will be refurbished and extended with an increase in secure bike parking spaces, improved shower and toilet facilities and a brand new loan fleet of conventional bikes and electric bikes thanks to money from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement fund, pending approval. 

The hub will continue to offer secure bike parking to registered users but other services, such as the loan scheme and maintenance checks, will be unavailable until the renovation works are complete and new staff are recruited. 

As part of the improved service, a mobile hub will be launched in early 2024, meaning communities and workplaces across the borough will be able to access bike loans, free repair service and advice. 

Councillor James Higginbottom, Cabinet spokesperson for Environment and Transport, said: “We’re excited by the development of the Active Travel Hub and will be investing significantly to enhance the offer, including a mobile hub to increase the access for our communities. 

“This allows the hub to be integrated into our wider active travel agenda as we look to make active travel an attractive and realistic choice for short journeys to enable and encourage people to walk and cycle as part of their daily lives. The benefits of physical activity through active travel to the mental and physical health of the participants, as well as the environment, are proven. 

“I look forward to seeing the vision for the project come to fruition over the coming months.” 

South Yorkshire's Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy OBE, added: “I’m convinced that having a fair chance to make a different choice about how we travel is at the heart of creating healthier communities and a better future. 

“Giving people the means to travel by bike, to store their bikes safely, and to experience the fun and freedom of e-bikes is critical to helping that happen, because it offers an easy alternative for getting around. 

“I'm convinced e-bikes have the ability to be a generational game-changer and schemes like this are so important when it comes to shifting perceptions around active travel.” 

More information about the project will follow in due course.