The first public car rental system Laguna bikes It will be called the Ciricleta, in memory of that first bus that existed in the municipality in the 50s of the last century and was known as the Cirila. This was explained by the councilor responsible for the area of Sustainable MobilityRubens Ascanio, who pointed out that the name is a proposal from the collective Tenerife por la Bici.
Within the framework of the Well-being and Health Fair, in a day dedicated to cycling mobility last weekend, it was possible to see a preview of what these bicycles will be like, brought by Sagulpa, the public company that has developed the project and who will manage the service. “We show three electric bicycles where the initial design already appears, although a small adaptation of the design will still be made, but people can already get an idea” of what they will be like, said the councilor.
The first phase of this project will connect the town with the university campuses and will involve an investment of 1.3 million euros, co-financed by the Government of the Canary Islands through a grant of 720,000 euros.
“As soon as the European funds arrive, the entry of which is about to be made, the purchase will proceed” of the 100 bicycles planned in this first phase, Ascanio explained. “But a reserve of these bicycles has already been made, because obviously now with the war and transportation problems, it is complicated and the whole procedure is being advanced,” he pointed out in this regard.
The proposed system will have physical stations, made up of a totem where the necessary procedures will be carried out (registration and deregistration in the system, payment, request and return a bicycle, etc.) and physical anchorages for bicycles, all supported by a mobile application that facilitates its operation.
This first phase is proposed with 100 bicycles distributed in 20 stations, each one having anchorages and space for 10 bicycles, a forecast that represents 20% of the optimal loan system for the entire town, according to its population. “There will be locations for electric bicycles and others for conventional ones, and we will try to ensure that the electric ones are in those places where they are most necessary because there is more slope, and the conventional ones will be in the flatter surroundings of La Laguna”, added the councilor.
Rubens Ascanio continued explaining that, in addition, “authorizations have already been requested to set up the places, because they are bicycles that are anchored, they cannot be left anywhere and they are all identified and it will be perfectly known where they are and who they are. took”.
He also announced that “there will be monthly bonuses, with a fairly affordable amount for different pockets, and that will allow you to use the bicycle when you need it.” “We hope that in the first months of 2023 we will already have the first sites and bicycles available,” he added.
The first phase of this system focuses on the displacement of the educational community of the ULL and will be expanded, in successive phases, to generate a network suited to the needs of the municipality. This first action will be centered on the two campuses and their connections with the city centre, since the trips to and from the University have an important weight in the matrix of daily trips and the student body is a sector of the population prone to traveling in more sustainable individual ways. .
