FAMILIES and tourists could soon swap their cars for electronic bikes to whizz up and down the seafront as councillors call for an E-bike hire scheme to be introduced.

Conservative councillor Kevin Buck, shadow cabinet member for transport, is urging Southend Council to partner with E-bike companies to rollout the environmentally friendly form of transport.

He hopes it would “broaden Southend’s horizons” and help the town’s eco-friendly push.

Ron Woodley, deputy leader, backed the idea and insisted that e-bikes on the seafront would be preferable to E-scooter hire schemes similar to the trial seen in Basildon town centre.

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Mr Buck, who recently was invited to speak at a green energy and public transport event in Farnborough, said: “The issue at the moment is price and the safety of them.

“People will feel safer if we had more dedicated cycle ways throughout the town, like along the seafront.

“If families were encouraged to swap their cars for the e-bikes, which they would be more inclined to do if they felt safe like they do in their car, then I can see it working.

“If the council was able to partner with a company, especially if they were local, it would help raise awareness of them and drive the price down.

“There’s capacity in the seafront cycle lanes to have e-bikes in there too.”

Mr Buck’s proposals to partner with a e-bike business represents similarities with the Boris Bike scheme in London.

Due to lockdown restrictions, plans were put on hold to rollout a Boris Bike scheme as part of the re-opening of the Twenty One cafe, on Pier, Hill, after it closed in 2018.

Ron Woodley, deputy leader of Southend Council, added: “I have nothing against e-bikes, they’re perfectly legal.

“We don’t need a trial of them here, and I don’t want an e-scooter trial either.

“They’re unsafe and dangerous.

“You never see people wearing a helmet on the scooters, and sometimes with two people riding them.

“With the e-bikes, you wear helmets and it’s a lot safer.”