A new community bike library has opened at Harvey Hadden Sports Village as part of the Travel Well project.

The bike library is being delivered on behalf of Nottingham City Council by RideWise, a local sustainable transport charity, with project monitoring support from the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly known as Sustrans).

Developed in partnership with Active Nottingham, the scheme will run until 30 September 2026 and is funded through Active Travel England’s national Active Travel Social Prescribing pilot programme.

The Travel Well community bike library service provides free bike loans of between four and 12 weeks on a range of accessible e-bikes, e-trikes, and adapted bikes to support residents who cannot currently cycle due to health reasons such as injury, mobility needs, or long-term health conditions.

The bike library is available for people living or registered with a GP in the Travel Well focus areas around Aspley, Bilborough, Beechdale, Strelley, Bulwell, St Ann’s and Sneinton.

Social prescribers, GPs, project partners and community organisations working in those areas can refer people to the service. The project aims to support 300 people to return to cycling.

All participants will receive one-to-one training and support to ride their loan bike safely with an appointment with a qualified cycle instructor.

After their loan period, participants may be ready to continue cycling using a standard pedal bike. If they still need an electric bike, participants should feel more confident using the Lime e-bike public hire scheme or even feel ready to explore getting their own e-bike or adapted bike.

The e-bike and adapted bike fleet is also available for short-term hires by community and support groups and organisations wanting to deliver inclusive activity sessions and led rides.

There is a range of 46 bikes, from standard e-bikes to adapted e-trikes, e-tandems, and cargo models, supplied by a mix of local and specialist providers. Each one is fitted with a GPS tracker for safety and security.

Councillor Linda Woodings, Executive Member for Regional Development, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “We’re excited to work with RideWise, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust and Active Nottingham to offer an e-bike library to residents who need it most.

“By offering free access to e-bikes and adapted bikes, along with one-to-one support, we’re helping residents build confidence, improve their health, and discover new ways of getting active.”

Helen Berry, Chief Executive at RideWise, said: “We’re really excited to be a part of this brilliant bike library – helping people in Nottingham to get moving more easily. All of the team are looking forward to meeting our community members and helping people to cycle safely and confidently.”

Councillor Corall Jenkins, Executive Member for Communities, Waste and Equalities, said: “We’re proud to support a project that champions wellbeing and community empowerment through active travel.

“By offering access to e-bikes and adapted bikes, we’re helping people reconnect with their local community, build confidence and enjoy the freedom of getting active in a way that works for them.

Click here to find out more about the Travel Well programme