As part of an effort to boost its green credentials, Peterborough City Council has laid on the battery-powered cycle to add to its existing fleet of ordinary "pool bikes".

Staff are encouraged to ditch their cars whenever they can to travel around the city for work, but some have been put off using pedal power for fear of working up too much of a sweat during business hours.

the city council's sustainable travel officer, Matt Barber, said he hoped the latest transport acquisition would help put paid to that complaint.

He said: "We have a number of staff members who told us they wanted to adopt a more sustainable form of transport to get to and from meetings which were more than a short distance away.

"The regular pedal cycles are popular, but for meetings that are more than a short cycle ride away, staff could find they arrived at their appointments feeling hot and sweaty.

"The electric bike allows people to cycle much further.

"They can pedal part of the way and use battery power if they get tired for the rest of the journey."

The £400 "clean electric hybrid" bike can reach a speed of up to 15mph, and when fully charged, has a range of between 15 and 20 miles.

One of the first to give it a road test was council planning executive Graeme Law, who rode it from the city centre to inspect a building site near Eye.

"It was very easy to use and, because I could take short cuts, it got me where I needed to go as fast as a car would have done," he said.

"You have complete control over whether or not you want to pedal, which makes it not quite as energetic an experience as ordinary cycling, so it's ideal when you want to avoid getting hot and bothered.

"It's great that the council is providing such a variety of types of transport, and I think when staff realise it is available to use, it will become quite popular."

The new bike has been added to the council's collection of six pedal cycles and two folding bikes at the town hall and offices in Bayard Place, Bridge House and Manor Drive.

If demand for the latest addition to the fleet proves high enough, there could be more on the way.

The council is also looking at the possibility of investing in electric cars to be used for maintenance work around the city.

Environment cabinet member Wayne Fitzgerald said: "It all goes towards boosting our green credentials and saving taxpayers' money by cutting down on fuel costs."

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