Boris' cycle hire scheme

[Flyingfox]

This idea was originally Kens, and to all those 'knockers', have any of you experienced the 'Velib' system in Paris?

I have, numerous times, when I was there during the Rugby World Cup, and they were a brilliant way of getting around. They are not meant for commutes or long distances, but more of short hops, ie London Bridge station to St Pauls. Paris is no different to London when it comes to traffic and cycle lanes, so if it works there why can't it here?

 

[Oldlegs]

The Times had an article on this today. Two things struck me as weird.

1) They will not be provided with locks on the grounds that bikes chained to railings etc are "unsightly". Get one nicked and it costs you £150.

2) No racks will be near to main line stations. The thinking (?) being if they were commuters would use them.

 

[DJ]

I am very far from a Boris fan but I think this scheme should be given a chance to work by cyclists in London, and across the country.

Ok well if that happens that's great, pity it takes LCC campaigning to sort it out though, how closely do tfl work with LCC on these matters?

LCC should be the government's first port of call on these issues and not the otherway around!

 

[DJ]

The Times had an article on this today. Two things struck me as weird.

1) They will not be provided with locks on the grounds that bikes chained to railings etc are "unsightly". Get one nicked and it costs you £150.

2) No racks will be near to main line stations. The thinking (?) being if they were commuters would use them.

Point 1. maybe not that weird, they are talking about having the racks dispersed about every hundred metres, so use them instead.

Point2. That is a bit weird I agree, how can they discriminate against commuters in particular?

Just as a side to that I am a member of a car club that looks to put it's cars next to rail links so they are infact doing the opposite! A car is different to a bike though I agree.

 

[PBancroft]

Point2. That is a bit weird I agree, how can they discriminate against commuters in particular?

Possibly because underground and overground tickets are a better source of money than bike rental, and commuters are an especially good means of paying for the self-same above services.

Also to dissuade people from putting the bikes on the trains and taking them home, or from there being a sudden wave of cyclists entering traffic everytime a train comes into station.

 

[just4fun]

if you mean the credit card payment scheme for yellow bikes around the city, i think they are very overpriced and can create social problems. working for TFl i used to work at a station with these. they were damaged by members of the public, and the carrier baskets on the front of the bike was just used as a rubbish bin by the locals. all in all station and therefore area looked nicer before these were introduced.

i've just realised this is a slightly different scheme.. (oops)

Hmm having just scrolled up and looked at the link, i think this is scheme is putting the cart before the horse. just becuse bikes are there wont encourage people to use them.
My method of encouraging people to start cycling, would be to create new lock-up facilities which have round the clock security. This would really help to address a key issue when cycling in london as well as making some extra jobs during the finacial doom and gloom. Also improved cycling paths of a high quality and giving cyclists a more equal share of the road because if the experiance is more pleasurable then people will automatically change attitudes and behaviour towards cycling and cyclists. None of which will happen anytime soon because sadly were not Dutch.
i dont see the scheme suceeding but it would be great if it does.

edit:
for what its worth: im a ken hater

 

[DJ]

Hmm having just scrolled up and looked at the link, i think this is scheme is putting the cart before the horse. just becuse bikes are there wont encourage people to use them.
My method of encouraging people to start cycling, would be to create new lock-up facilities which have round the clock security. This would really help to address a key issue when cycling in london as well as making some extra jobs during the finacial doom and gloom. Also improved cycling paths of a high quality and giving cyclists a more equal share of the road because if the experiance is more pleasurable then people will automatically change attitudes and behaviour towards cycling and cyclists. None of which will happen anytime soon because sadly were not Dutch.
i dont see the scheme suceeding but it would be great if it does.

]

Good thoughts and ideas not sure the 24 hour security thing is fundable though.
Some stations have very secure boxes each take one cycle and are locked very securely with a large padlock, sure people could get in but in highly populated areas like around stations is it worth there while trying?

 

[Origamist]

Serco have been awarded the contract:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/12366.aspx

 

[AleT]

The Times had an article on this today. Two things struck me as weird.

1) They will not be provided with locks on the grounds that bikes chained to railings etc are "unsightly". Get one nicked and it costs you £150.

2) No racks will be near to main line stations. The thinking (?) being if they were commuters would use them.

1) They want to encourage you to put the bike back in a rack so that others can use it, rather than locking it to some railings. Racks will always be nearby.
2) Network rail refused to supply the space necessary to place hire points in mainline stations. They will be nearby though.
Personally I love the idea. I'll probably use them to get lunch on rather than faff about unlocking my commute bike!

 

[Origamist]

I was in Bristol at the weekend. The hire system there, which is a smaller version of that planned for London, seems to work very well. If we don't try in London, we'll never know.

It just seems that some people are wishing this to fail simply because they don't like Boris.

Me - I'd like it to succeed, not because I particularly like Boris or anything, but because I'd like to see more people encouraged and able to cycle.

I hope it's a success too.

If people are willing it to fail because of Boris, they are confused. It was Ken who announced the scheme early last year.

 

[DJ]

I was in Bristol at the weekend. The hire system there, which is a smaller version of that planned for London, seems to work very well. If we don't try in London, we'll never know.

It just seems that some people are wishing this to fail simply because they don't like Boris.

Me - I'd like it to succeed, not because I particularly like Boris or anything, but because I'd like to see more people encouraged and able to cycle.

Yes of course it should succeed, I am not a fan of Boris at all but you are right this scheme is the kind of pro cycling structure we neeed to have in place in London!

I still think Boris has made a mistake of scrapping the extension to the congestion zone though as that too would have encouraged more bikes on to the streets.

 

[Origamist]

Bike hire to hit Zone One without cycle network or Oyster-compatibility:

http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1479

 

[scouserinlondon]

I've used the bike hire scheme in Lyon and it was amazing. The problem is our yoot who will probably customise the bikes for jewellery heists.

 

[u9ge]

I think it's a good idea, but what happens when a japanese tourist ends up under a bus? I think the Daily Mail brigade will have a field day. I'm prety convinced most on the bikes will follow the example of the RLJ'ing majority and show bugger all road sense.

 

[scouserinlondon]

I think it's a good idea, but what happens when a japanese tourist ends up under a bus? I think the Daily Mail brigade will have a field day. I'm prety convinced most on the bikes will follow the example of the RLJ'ing majority and show bugger all road sense.

This is quite possible, but tbh, if they're anything like the french ones you won't get much over 10 kmph anyways so hopefully that'll minimise accidents.