> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Greens slam axed Ipswich e-bike hire scheme as 'backward' - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/greens-slam-axed-ipswich-e-bike-hire-scheme-as-backward/ - Published: 2026-09-01T07:21:02.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-01T07:21:02.000Z - Description: The Green group at Suffolk County Council has accused the ruling administration of "ignorance" or an "ideology against cycling" after plans for an e-bike hire scheme in Ipswich were shelved over safety concerns. - Author: Oliver Rouane-Williams - Tags: News, Infrastructure, Christopher Hudson, Suffolk County Council **Why it matters:** The scheme, part of the Active Suffolk agenda, could have let people hire e-bikes from Ipswich railway station and other locations – but has been dropped amid fears over battery fires, antisocial behaviour and inexperienced riders. **What they're saying:** Robert Lindsay, the Green group's spokesperson for transport and highways, said he was "shocked" by the decision, made by Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for highways, Christopher Hudson. "I was shocked to hear that Reform have decided to axe plans for an e-bike hire scheme in Ipswich," he said. Mr Lindsay disputed concerns that the bikes could be misused by criminals: "You'd have to be a pretty incompetent crook to think that you could outrun police on a hire bike that has its speed restricted to lower than 15.6mph." He also rejected fears over battery fires. "The idea that hire e-bikes will suddenly burst into flame is absurd. They are all properly manufactured by reputable companies, and there have never been any incidents of such hire bikes catching fire. It is only private bikes that have been illegally modified where the problems have been," he said. Mr Lindsay said the scheme "would have cost the council nothing, except the provision of sites," adding: "I don't know whether it is Reform's ignorance or its ideology against cycling that has driven Reform to this backward move. Either way it is shortsighted in the extreme when, as even Councillor Hudson admits, roughly one in five households in Ipswich have no access to a private vehicle, and Ipswich is crying out for more to be done to encourage people out of cars to ease congestion." **The other side:** Cllr Hudson said the scheme had merit, particularly for the roughly one in five people in Ipswich without access to transport, but that public safety had to come first. He pointed to concerns including fast, quiet bikes being difficult for pedestrians to hear, inexperienced riders, collisions, and the risk of bikes being stolen, abandoned or misused, alongside fears about battery fires. **For context:** Mr Lindsay said e-bike hire schemes are running successfully in "numberless towns and cities across the country including in Suffolk," pointing to schemes introduced by Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils in Sudbury, Needham and Stowmarket. He said Babergh's scheme, which began more than a year ago, had seen no safety or other problems. **The bottom line:** The Green group says scrapping the e-bike scheme is a missed opportunity for a low-cost transport option in a town where a significant proportion of households have no access to a car, while Suffolk County Council maintains that safety concerns outweigh the scheme's benefits. --- **Don't forget:** If you enjoy our content, please [add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) so you can easily find more of the content you value. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) --- ### This article cost us \~£21 to produce It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.