Boris Bikes - Casual Users

[jimboalee]

Why would anyone who resides in London PAY to ride someone else's bike when they have a bike of their own?
They must be halfwits.

 

[yello]

I can't register since I'm not UK resident. I'll have to wait for casual membership, which is "coming soon".... sorry zimzum! I do promise to ensure my backpack doesn't match that of my misses though!

 

[zimzum42]

Why would anyone who resides in London PAY to ride someone else's bike when they have a bike of their own?
They must be halfwits.

I use Boris Bikes where before I would have walked or taken a bus - they don't replace journeys I would ordinarily do on my own bike...

3/4 wit!

 

[automatic_jon]

I still think this sounds like a case of Londoners not wanting to share their toys. How many times have we seen early adopters object to the popularisation of 'their' new thing with cries of "they'll ruin it!". The internet in the early nineties springs to mind, and yes, compared to what the net was used for it has been ruined but it's also become a powerful tool and ubiquitous pool of knowledge.
Perhaps they're just going to have to accept us unwashed yokels on to their bikes and be damned by the consequences.

A pay as you go type affair seems alright, although I still bet I forget to register beforehand.

 

[jack the lad]

I still think this sounds like a case of Londoners not wanting to share their toys.

They are worried that if civilised people from the shires start cycling in London we'll stop at red lights and there will be loads of accidents as the uncouth city types ram us up the rear. (ooh er missus!)

 

[Bromptonaut]

Why would anyone who resides in London PAY to ride someone else's bike when they have a bike of their own?
They must be halfwits.

They bikes are only in tube zone 1 at present and not that many folk live there. If I resided in London it would be on the edge there would be plenty of occasions when I'd tube in from the 'burbs and then use the BoBi to get round town.

As a train plus Brompton commuter there are occasions when it's difficult to park/store the bike. They're vulnerable on the street even with the best locks and not universally welcome in claokrooms etc. Usually in my case I use a hire bike when there's a one way journey or I'm going out at night. Tomorrow I'm going to the school prom at the RAH. Wednesday it's post work drinks/supper with a friend.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I don't see why I should have to join the scheme.

I don't live anywhere near London and it's about 5 years since I last went there (apart from for football)

The idea of being able to cycle around London on a visit is appealing.....for me if I were visiting London it would mean the difference between driving down and paying the CC, or catching the megabus (I'm a cheapskate!) and using a KenBike (why does Boris get the credit?) to get about

Isn't that what these things should be all about?

If I MOVED to London and wanted to cycle I wouldn't hire a bike, I'd buy one (If I didn't have one)

 

[Tynan]

Why would anyone who resides in London PAY to ride someone else's bike when they have a bike of their own?
They must be halfwits.

I use them regularly when I'm off to football or the pub in the evening and don;t want to leave my bike at work/be without it in the morning

there's a thousand reasons

 

[zimzum42]

I don't see why I should have to join the scheme.

I don't live anywhere near London and it's about 5 years since I last went there (apart from for football)

The idea of being able to cycle around London on a visit is appealing.....for me if I were visiting London it would mean the difference between driving down and paying the CC, or catching the megabus (I'm a cheapskate!) and using a KenBike (why does Boris get the credit?) to get about

Isn't that what these things should be all about?

If I MOVED to London and wanted to cycle I wouldn't hire a bike, I'd buy one (If I didn't have one)

Couple of good reasons there!!!!!


Boris gets the credit because he actually made the project happen. Ken talked about it but did nothing

 

[jimboalee]

Hiring bikes to casual visitors to London = Hiring barrels to casual visitors to Niagra Falls.

 

[automatic_jon]

Hiring bikes to casual visitors to London = Hiring barrels to casual visitors to Niagra Falls.

There's a whole, potentially valid, argument in there about social Darwinism I think.

 

[BentMikey]

Can't see what the problem is with KenBike lights. They are fine, plenty bright enough even in the daytime.

 

[Origamist]

Couple of good reasons there!!!!!


Boris gets the credit because he actually made the project happen. Ken talked about it but did nothing

That's not really true - I have no doubt that if Ken had got back in we'd still have had the bike hire scheme and CSs (both put forward under Livingstone). What I want to know is what is Boris' big idea for the so called cycling revolution in the coming years - left on red, motorcycles in bus lanes...

 

[zimzum42]

You have no doubts - but I don't reckon he would have done it, all he ever seemed to want to do was pander to black cab drivers and the tube

 

[Origamist]

You have no doubts - but I don't reckon he would have done it, all he ever seemed to want to do was pander to black cab drivers and the tube

During Mayoral elections in 2008 Livingstone promised to introduce the scheme (he's been generally pro the bike hire idea all along AFAIK) and he'd of looked pretty stupid reneging on that promise if he had have been elected...

How he would have dealt with the Barclays sponsorship is another question...