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In September 2019, ForwardMotion helped Ann Hepworth, a healthcare worker from Southend-on-Sea, change her travel behaviour.
Ann saw an advert for ForwardMotion’s bike loan scheme at a bus stop on Southend seafront, and found the ‘try before you buy’ concept of our bike hire scheme appealing. Ann commented: “I had been wanting to get back into cycling for a while, but I wasn’t sure if it would be for me or not. The idea of renting and trying it out before committing to buying a decent bike was what attracted me to try it out.”
Ann found it a very easy to hire a bike. Ann said: “I just went to the website and filled out a form, and within a couple of days, someone got back to me. By the end of the week I had a lovely Raleigh Pioneer bike for the next six months.”
Before hiring a bike through ForwardMotion, Ann drove a car for short journeys around town and used the train to get to r work, walking to and from the train stations. Ann has now switched the car for a bike for those short journeys and is already seeing the benefits. Ann commented: “Instead of driving short local journeys, I now opt for the bike. I’ll cycle anywhere up to 3 miles now. It’s much quicker. I’m amazed at just how much time I’ve saved by cycling, even when parking my bike. Southend is very good for cycle parking.”
Ann would definitely recommend the bike loan scheme to a friend. Ann said: “It’s a brilliant service for people who are getting back into cycling, or for people who need affordable transport and want get healthy.”
For more information about the scheme, visit ForwardMotion’s bike loan scheme website.
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