Members of the City of Edinburgh Council's Transport and Environment Committee have agreed a plan to extend a secure on-street bike parking scheme following a successful trial in the city's Southside and West End.

The covered bike storage containers provide much-needed cycle parking in densely-populated and tenemental areas of Edinburgh, which was the first local authority in Scotland to offer the facility to residents.

One hundred and eighty new units will now be rolled out around the city over the next two years, helping to encourage people to choose cycling as a mode of transport and reducing issues caused by bikes left in tenement and flat stairwells.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: "Encouraging cycling as a healthy and sustainable mode of transport is a real priority for us, and we've committed to invest in a whole range of bold and exciting projects to get people of all abilities onto two wheels.

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"That's why it's essential we also get the basics right, like providing somewhere for people to put their bikes – a lack of storage can be a real barrier to anyone deciding whether or not to take up cycling.

"We'll now be working closely with contractors and communities to make sure units are installed in the most appropriate locations."

Sustrans Scotland Community Links Manager, Dave Keane, said: "We are pleased to be involved in supporting the introduction of secure on-street residential cycle parking through our Community Links programme.

"By providing facilities for secure storage, we hope the move will enable more people to own a bike and make it even easier for Edinburgh residents to choose to travel round the city in an active and sustainable way."

Since beginning in July 2014, bike parking trials have proved extremely popular, with pilot scheme units at full capacity and waiting lists for each site, plus requests for additional storage in more than 200 different streets.

Plans to increase available on-street bike parking were first approved in November 2016, when it was agreed to roll out 20-30 new units a year over three years. The process will now be increased and accelerated to install 180 units over two years.

Following agreement by committee, the Council will issue a contract to supply, manage and maintain the units, with the option of installing additional storage containers after the initial two-year period. Locations will be assessed individually by the Council and the exact costing will be determined once the contract is awarded.