Boris's Bike Watch...

[Black Sheep]

It's not just the hooligans that don't like them, the Wail messageboards are catching wind:

"So does membership include any form of driving lessons or do we have to put with even more idiots that pay no road tax, have no road sense yet still believe they have more rights to be on the road than the rest of us?

- Kahonen, Andover, UK, 30/7/2010 11:24


Read more: http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz0vAAeNEVh "



I think it's a brilliant idea.

I've just replied to:

"So please tell me then why do we pay a congestion charge?, ,,so yes motorists do pay a tax to use the roads when you look at it correctly dont they!."




with:

You pay a surcharge to bring a car into a congested city

a bit like hold luggage on ryanair

which is why motorbikes and cycles don't have to pay

 

[Bromptonaut]

Emerging problem seems to be bikes collecting around commuter's offices.

Used one for first time today. Euston to Bream's Buildings at around 13:00. Seems No bikes available on the west side stands and only a couple on the Eversholt Street side. Picked up after s short wait for TfL techies to update the terminal. Another waiting user suggested that dropping off was a problem and that at one time this morning terminals were showing no drop of places available within three miles of Moorgate!!

I was able to drop mine inot one of only three available spaces in the Breams Building racks. Boss had had to return his to Charing Cross having found nothing in any local rack he was aware of.

 

[tmcd35]

I spent the day in the City on Sunday while waiting for a concert to start. Visited the Science Museum, walked through Hyde Park, etc. I passed a number of cycle stations and a fair few people out on the Boris Bikes - especially in Hyde Park. I thought of hiring one myself. Checked the website on me mobile and apparently the 'Casual use' is 'coming soon'. Fat lot of good that is! I was only in the City for the day.

Not as if I was doing any forward planing and could have got a key ahead of time. And I've no idea when I'm in town next so getting an annual pass isn't going to work either.

If you ask me they've got this backwards. They should've got the casual use scheme up and running first and then arranged monthly/annual passes with discounts for regular commuters. Instead I spent the day walking and think I've pulled a muscle in my left calf has I tend not to walk so many miles in one day - oh hum!

 

[gaz]

http://cyclehire.tomtaylor.co.uk/ this is a very interesting website with lots of data on it.

 

[Shrimp_Stu]

Emerging problem seems to be bikes collecting around commuter's offices.

Would agree with that - I had to dock mine a good 10 minute walk from the office after both the Pall Mall and St James's Square docking stations were full.
Although I managed to rack up 25km on mine 5 separate journeys today....great fun riding a cumbersome, heavy, low geared bike....certainly puts my full carbon Orbea Onix too shame .

Going to time trial tomorrows Tower Hill > Pall Mall route, I even managed to scalp a brompton and a mountain bike.....

 

[hackbike 666]

He also wants to see cyclists killed and finds London taxi drivers civil!

Rows of cars are an eyesore.

He added: "Britain had a very strong cycling culture through the start of the last century, but lost it from the Fifties, when cars filled our streets in greater numbers. That's starting to change and we can do it much faster if more people discover the convenience and joy of cycling through hire bikes. The London scheme could be a really important step in re-creating our lost cycling heritage."


Lets reclaim our roads.

 

[nasserblue]

Just a note to say this seems to be a roaring success... Loads and loads of them being ridden around the London streets...

 

[CopperBrompton]

Much more successful than even the optimists imagined, I think. 5000 journeys a day!

 

[ianrauk]

That's such good news to hear

 

[gaz]

over 22,000 bikes where moved around london in the past 24hours.

 

[scouserinlondon]

I did the ulitmate in smugness today. I took a boris bike from Waterloo to Borough market in order to buy Chorizo. I'm not northern any more.

 

[Lizban]

I spent the day in the City on Sunday while waiting for a concert to start. Visited the Science Museum, walked through Hyde Park, etc. I passed a number of cycle stations and a fair few people out on the Boris Bikes - especially in Hyde Park. I thought of hiring one myself. Checked the website on me mobile and apparently the 'Casual use' is 'coming soon'. Fat lot of good that is! I was only in the City for the day.

Not as if I was doing any forward planing and could have got a key ahead of time. And I've no idea when I'm in town next so getting an annual pass isn't going to work either.

If you ask me they've got this backwards. They should've got the casual use scheme up and running first and then arranged monthly/annual passes with discounts for regular commuters. Instead I spent the day walking and think I've pulled a muscle in my left calf has I tend not to walk so many miles in one day - oh hum!

Think they got it right - Not all the bikes are ready yet so by limiting the amount of people who can get teh bikes makes sure that the system has best chance of working.

Annoying for you but on your next visit hopefully it will be ready to go.

 

[Bromptonaut]

How many stations are still to come?

The printed map shows one at Southampton Buildings/Staple Inn but no sign of it on the ground!!

 

[StuartG]

One has to assume the system is broken.

See my other thread where someone managed to hire a bike on my account despite me having both tags in my possession. The fact the operators had no access to my account but promised to ring back within 24 hours but did not and if you Google a little you see they never seem to do ...

What is one to do? I can't even cancel ... but could be held to ransom for £600.

Still an unhappy bunny!

 

[gaz]

some stats released today

• 44,000 members signed up
• 14,000 journeys made on the busiest days
• 100,000 total journeys made.