Kingston’s Mayor Penny Shelton has officially launched a new public bicycle pump on Clarence Street, opposite John Lewis.
The bicycle pump, which has been specially designed to be vandal-proof and permanently fixed to the pavement, cost the council 2,000 pounds.
Ms Shelton said Kingston council wanted to send a message that it supported cyclists.
The pump was an initiative of the Kingston Cycling Campaign (KCC) which will be responsible for its maintenance costs, but Jon Fray, from KCC, expects them to be minimal.
There are no plans yet to place more public bicycle pumps in Kingston but Mr Fray said this pump will serve as a trial. It has to be seen how it goes in terms of sustainability and popularity. Although there are no statistics of how much the pump is used so far, cyclists reacted positively. Mr Fray said: “Users have commented that the pump is an excellent idea and that there should be more of them.”
