Lake Macquarie has had its first taste of e-bikes in a safety day ahead of the rollout of more than 100 public pay-as-you-go bicycles.
The company behind the e-bikes, Beam, held a training course at Warners Bay on Saturday for people to learn about the electronic bikes and how to use them.
The electric bikes can travel up to 25km/h, and 150-200 of them will be rolled out in Warners Bay, Charlestown, Cardiff and Whitebridge as part of a 12 month trial. This will eventually be increased to 500 with more locations.
A start date has not been set, but organisers plan to have them ready to use by the end of this month.
The bikes work through an App and users pay as they go with a $1 fee to unlock the bikes and a cost of 45 cents per minute used.
The safety day gave riders the chance to learn how the program works as well as safe operating and manoeuvring skills, such as how to turn, brake and signal to other riders and pedestrians.
The program is being facilitated through Beam in partnership with Dantia, Lake Macquarie council's economic development arm.
Beam's Ned Dale said they planned to hold more safety days in Lake Macquarie the future, particularly when e-scooter trials are launched by Transport NSW later in the year.
"People might not be so familiar with shared transport," he said. "This helps them understand the bikes a bit better."
Dantia CEO Josh Sattler said it was a chance for "people to get their heads around what the bikes look like".
Having facilitated a similar program in Darwin, Mr Sattler said he could see the program being well used around the lake.
"It's such a beautiful and picturesque network," he said. "People coming into the area will really grab these modes of transport.
"It will probably take a little bit of time for the community to embrace it.
"But we're really excited to share the data back."
Mr Sattler said the bike sites can be moved quickly and easily depending on demand.
Increasing shared pathways in the city has been a particular focus for Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser, and she said the e-bikes were an ideal way to enjoy them.
"They're easy to ride, easy to use," she said. "You can get on, use a QR code and then just leave it there when you're done.
"I have seen these in other locations and they have been so successful."
