West Midlands Cycle Hire docking points all around the West Midlands

So far I have found the docks for West Midlands Cycle Hire in Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Walsall. I have yet to travel back to the boroughs of Dudley or Sandwell or the City of Wolverhampton to see them. But it's time for a post. Been gathering photos of the docks from April to June 2021, and will probably get more on my travels around the West Midlands in the months to come.

Birmingham

Mostly in the City Centre and at the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston. Also in Sutton Coldfield.

Birmingham City Centre

Location: Digbeth, Birmingham, West Midlands. Opposite of Digbeth Police Station.

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Location: Park Street, Birmingham, West Midlands. Near Selfridges.

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Location: Moor Street Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands. Between Primark and Birmingham Moor Street Station.

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Location: Fore Street, Birmingham, West Midlands. Between Cannon Street and Corporation Street. Not far from Corporation Street Tram Stop.

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Location: Paradise Street, Birmingham, West Midlands. At Town Hall Tram Stop and near Birmingham Town Hall and Victoria Square.

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Location: Station Street, Birmingham, West Midlands. Below the Southside Steps of Birmingham New Street Station.

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Location: Summer Row, Birmingham, West Midlands. Next to University College Birmingham. Seen from Paradise Circus Queensway.

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Location: Bath Row, Birmingham, West Midlands. Opposite St Thomas' Peace Garden. Near Park Central and Lee Bank.

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University of Birmingham

Location: Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands. Near the University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness Centre. Close to Edgbaston Park Road (also the South and East Gate of the University of Birmingham).

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Location: Ring Road South, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands. Near the University of Birmingham School of Chemistry.

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Location: New Fosse Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands. Between the University of Birmingham  (West Gate) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (and not far from University Station).

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire UoB (May 2021).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Sutton Coldfield

Location: Monmouth Drive, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, West Midlands. Near the Boldmere Gate of Sutton Park.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire Sutton Park (Jun 2021).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Coventry

Location: Butts Road, Coventry, West Midlands. Near the Premier Inn Coventry City Centre (Earlsdon Park) and Albany Theatre.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire Butts Cov 12062021.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Location: Corporation Street, Coventry, West Midlands. outside of a Coffee Shop called Shakeout.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire Corp Cov 12062021.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Solihull

Location: High Street, Solihull. Close to Hunters and the Masons Arms public house.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire Solihull High St (Apr 2021) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Location: Station Approach, Solihull, West Midlands. Opposite of Solihull Station.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire Sol 18052021 (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Location: Station Road, Solihull, West Midlands. Close to Indian Brewery.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire Sol 18052021 (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Location: Lode Lane, Solihull, West Midlands. Close to Solihull Hospital.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM Cycle Hire Sol 18052021 (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Walsall

Location: Broadway North, Walsall, West Midlands. Outside of Walsall Arboretum.

dndimg alt="West Midlands Cycle Hire" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WMCH Walsall Arb (Jun 2021) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Can riders remember to properly dock the bikes when they are finished. Don't just randomly leave them on a pavement nowhere near a dock. They have GPS trackers on them (I think).

Photos taken by Elliott Brown. Can be found on Twitter: ellrbrown

Car2Go all over Birmingham back in 2013 to 2014

Car2Go was a car hire scheme in Birmingham during 2013 to 2014. Using SmartCar's. With slogans on the doors such as "Brum Brummie" or "Free Parking" etc. Users could use an app which they would pay for the use. Use the GPS to locate one and drive around the City. Didn't last more than 12 months though. From May 2013 to May 2014. Was based on was on Fleet Street.

Car2Go

Coming to Birmingham in May 2013, all of a sudden, there was these Car2Go SmartCar's parked all over the City. They were available all over the City. No fixed designation bays, just jump in and drive off. Free parking on any street pay and display bay (but sometimes parking wardens wouldn't know and would put yellow parking tickets on them). One off registration fee was £29.90 (at the time). Register once, drive anywhere. All inclusive price plans. There was different prices depending on how long you used them.

They were based in offices on Fleet Street, close to the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. But this scheme wasn't to last, and by the late spring of 2014, Car2Go pulled out of Birmingham, never to return.

JUMP IN DRIVE OFF

Date: May 2013.

Location: Woodcock Street outside of Sir Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre at Aston University.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Woodcock St (May 2013) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: August 2013.

Location: Gas Street.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Gas St (Aug 2013).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: August 2013.

Location: Alcester Road, Moseley Village.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Alcester Rd Moseley (Aug 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: February 2014.

Location: Reservoir Road, Ladywood, on the walk towards Edgbaston Reservoir.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Reservoir Rd Ladywood (Feb 2014).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

BRUM BRUMMIE

Date: May 2013.

Location: Woodbrooke Road, Bournville near The Valley Parkway.

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Date: June 2013.

Location: Fleet Street outside of the then Car2Go offices.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Fleet St (June 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: September 2013.

Location: Floodgate Street, Digbeth. Note the yellow parking ticket. Was it really free parking then?

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Floodgate St Digbeth (Sept 2013) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: May 2014.

Location: Edmund Street. The last ever photo of a Car2Go SmartCar that I would take before they left Birmingham for good.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Edmund St (May 2014).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

FREE PARKING

Date: May 2013:

Location: Corporation Street, in the Steelhouse Conservation Area near the courts.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Corporation St (May 2013).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: June 2013.

Location: Hazelwell Fordrough, Stirchley.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Hazelwell Fordrough (June 2013).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: July 2013.

Location: Lionel Street, Jewellery Quarter. Near the Great Charles Street Queensway car park.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Lionel St (Jul 2013).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: August 2013.

Location: Brunel Street. Near Brunel Street Car Park (now called Town Hall Car Park).

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Brunel St (Aug 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: September 2013.

Location: Bissell Street, Highgate.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Bissell St (Sept 2013) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

HELLO BIRMINGHAM

Date: May 2013.

Location: Aston Street on the Aston University Campus.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Aston St (May 2013) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: July 2013.

Location: Newhall Street, Jewellery Quarter near Newhall Square and the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Newhall St (Jul 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: September 2013.

Location: Bromsgrove Street, Southside. Was close to Bristol Street.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Bromsgrove St (Sept 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Date: October 2013.

Location: Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston at Five Ways.

dndimg alt="Car2Go" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Car2Go Calthorpe Rd FW (Oct 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos taken by Elliott Brown. Can be found on Twitter: ellrbrown.

Voi eScooters around the City Centre

In the months before the 2nd lockdown, I was able to travel to the City Centre (when it was allowed), and occasionally saw the new Voi eScooters around. They are road legal, although some users did seem to ride them on pavements, or on pedestrianised roads. It's not just the official orange ones I've seen. Personal owned black eScooters have been seen all over the City as well.

Voi eScooter's

Voi Scooters users can download an app, and pay for the use of them. They are located all over Birmingham City Centre. Apparently anyone can use the, either a man in a suit or a student in jeans. They reduce noise and air pollution. They enable people to move freely in an urban environment.

There is a 6 month trial in Birmingham City Centre. I think they were to have a trial in Coventry but that was halted. I also found some none Voi eScooter's over in Redditch, Worcestershire.

After about a month, Voi put these pads on the handles, so that they can be cleaned after each use (due to the Pandemic and hand sanitising etc).

I wouldn't want to ride them myself, prefer to get the bus or train and walk.

12th September 2020 on the High Street (near lower Bull Street). Got my first photo of a Voi eScooter from my bus stop. Buses on the Stratford Road routes including the 2, 3, 5 and 6.

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Earlier that day, I got a photo of a masked man riding an Voi eScooter through Centenary Square, outside of the Library of Birmingham.

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16th September 2020 in Victoria Square. Graham Young of the Birmingham Mail on a test ride, stop as another guy passes him. He later wrote an article for the Birmingham Live, which you can read here: What happened when we tried to ride a VOI scooter in Birmingham city centre

dndimg alt="Voi eScooter" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Voi eScooter Vic Sq 16092020.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

You can find him on Twitter: Graham Young.

dndimg alt="Voi eScooter" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Voi eScooter Vic Sq 16092020 GY.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

9th October 2020, heading down Hill Street, I spotted this eScooter. Close to Hinckley Street, and not far from Smallbrook Queensway. I was heading down to Southside to check out the latest B-Side Hip Hop street art.

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On the 10th October 2020, saw this pair of Voi eScooter's near the bike racks on Eden Place. Close to Colmore Row and the Council House.

dndimg alt="Voi eScooters" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Voi eScooters Eden Place 10102020.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

11th October 2020 from Navigation Street outside of Birmingham New Street Station, saw this trio of three Voi eScooter's. Not far from the Stephenson Street entrance to the station. The day I was going to see Van Gogh Alive at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Had just come down from Grand Central Birmingham.

dndimg alt="Voi eScooter's" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Voi eScooters Nav St 11102020.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

25th October 2020 from the Bullring near St Martin's Church. This Voi eScooter at the corner of Edgbaston Street and St Martin's Lane.

dndimg alt="Voi eScooter" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Voi eScooter St Martins Bullring 25102020.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

2nd November 2020 in The Golden Square near Vyse Street in the Jewellery Quarter. Three Voi eScooter's, not far from the site of where the Jewellery Quarter Clock was until August 2020.

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Bonus eScooter's in Redditch, Worcestershire

14th October 2020 a train trip to Redditch to see the John Bonham statue, when I saw some BIRD eScooter's in Redditch on Alcester Street. Similar in design to Voi, but a little different.

dndimg alt="Redditch eScooters" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Redditch eScooters 14102020 (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

There was three BIRD eScooter's outside of the Redditch Town Hall.

dndimg alt="Redditch eScooters" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Redditch eScooters 14102020 (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

It will probably not be until the 2nd lockdown is over that I will see more eScooter's around Birmingham. Unless I got out for a local walk, and see someone riding a black eScooter on the pavement (which is illegal, they should be ridden on the road).

I might be back in the City Centre week commencing 16th November 2020, for the first time in 2 weeks, so might see move Voi eScooter's when I'm in town.

Photos taken by Elliott Brown. Can be found on Twitter: ellrbrown.