6 million and counting!
- Thread starter Red Light
- Start date
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david1701
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Bude, Cornwall
STEEEEL 
corshamjim
New Member
- Location
- Corsham
Let's face it - the Boris bike is hardly the kind of thing which will inspire the rider to go nuts.
I've not tried one yet, because last time I was in Lundun they hadn't yet started allowing you to hire there-and-then with your credit card. I'll certainly have a go when the opportunity arises.
I've not tried one yet, because last time I was in Lundun they hadn't yet started allowing you to hire there-and-then with your credit card. I'll certainly have a go when the opportunity arises.
TheBoyBilly
New Member
- Location
- Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
How many have gone missing?
So is everyone saying that if we all rode heavy steel bikes, motorists would suddenly stop hitting us?
I think they lost 10 bikes overall although that figure may be high. I know a number that were lost were later recovered but losses are extremely low unlike the Paris Velib.
TfL analysed their ridership and found the majority were while professional males aged 25-44 earning over £50k. So there is some substance behind the comment.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
[Tosses grenade]Helmets[hides] and less contraversial normal clothes.
Drivers see people on them as more human and capable of error and therfore take more care around them.
Plus they are quite visible bikes.
Drivers see people on them as more human and capable of error and therfore take more care around them.
Plus they are quite visible bikes.
Looks like its not just Boris Bikes but also other bike share schemes that are safer than riding your own bike according to this article
I think that there's something in this but, extrapolating, is it helped because most people can visualise themselves spending a quid to get a day's use of them?
Conversely, people see a lycra-clad roadie or baggied-up MTBer and they cannot see anything beyond the image, so they don't feel any empathy towards the cyclist.
How about some of the riders themselves being a bit more circumspect if they aren't used to cycling in London?
I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't many, if not all, of the above reasons to some extent.
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
Actually, if I take the Standard's innumerate spin off and read between the lines (frustrating they don't actually publish the data), they probably found that the majority were aged between 25-44, the majority earned over £50k and the majority were male. Which isn't at all the same thing.
It's also not surprising given the sort of people who tend to live in or go into central London on a regular basis and who are likely to be inclined to try cycling.
Ed Crane
Senior Member
Also, they're simply the best way to get around. I've used them on 3 trips to London purely as a tourist. September, January and June. So three seasons and even the bitter cold of January was ok really. All you need is normal road sense and Smartphone App for bike stations and its a total joy.