A “Boris bike” scheme is to be trialled in Highland Perthshire this summer.
While London cyclists have to pay to use the scheme set up by mayor Boris Johnson, the Perthshire service will be free and will run for a month at a time in three towns to persuade locals and tourists to leave the car behind.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Highland Perthshire Cycling, who have dubbed it the green bike project.
Kat Brown, active travel officer with Highland Perthshire Cycling, said: “It’s going to a three month project as a pilot. If it’s successful we could look at extending the project and making the bikes more of a feature on a permanent basis.
“They’ll be free to use and will be sitting at racks across the town. People just select one of the bikes, adjust the seat and off they go. They can put it back in that rack, or put it in another green bike rack.
“We are going about it on a trust basis we don’t want to put barriers in people’s way. We want them to use the bikes rather than use their car.”
Bikes will be placed in locations across Aberfeldy in May, before moving to Pitlochry in June, and Dunkeld and Birnam in July. All of the cycles in the scheme have been reconditioned by the Bike Station in Perth and then painted green.
Councillor John Kellas, whose ward covers one of the pilot areas, has welcomed the project.
He said: “This will be a great encouragement to cyclists, letting them experience our environment in a user-friendly way.
“Dunkeld and Birnam have terrific cycle routes that can suit all abilities and ages and I would encourage everyone to get out of their cars and pedal their way to fitness and a better enjoyment of their environment.“
However, Councillor Barbara Vaughan said: “The main concern is with the proposals for additional racks along Atholl Street in Dunkeld. The pavements are narrow and barely wide enough for a wheelchair or double buggy.
“There are already times when pedestrians feel they have to go into the roadway. Any additional narrowing of the pavements could prove dangerous.”