Comments on: London cycle hire scheme – the lowdown

By: Cycling questions and answers from the Mayor of London: Oct 09 | The Bike Show - a cycling radio show and podcast from Resonance FM

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:15:24 +0000

[...] specifically about the Vallance Road/Whitechapel Road junction) to the new cycle superhighways, the London cycle hire scheme and much [...]

By: Cycle Super-MyWays | The Bike Show

Cycle Super-MyWays | The Bike Show — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:33:44 +0000

[...] put a ‘cycling revolution’ at the heart of his programme of government. As well as the Cycle Hire Scheme, Mayor Johnson has announced plans for what he has dubbed ‘cycle superhighways’. Back [...]

By: links for 2009-08-04 » onionbagblog

links for 2009-08-04 » onionbagblog — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:42:30 +0000

[...] ups for le velib continue to become a political pawn around my little patch of South London. Le velib bikes need to [...]

By: links for 2009-07-08 » onionbagblog

links for 2009-07-08 » onionbagblog — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:12:06 +0000

[...] doing themselves no favours around these parts by putting up resistance to extra cycle bays for le velib scheme. Writing about the proposed velib bay positioned at Windmill Row, the ever smiling trio of [...]

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:42:47 +0000

Being an optimist, I expect the introduction of Vel-on to reverse the trend of ever greater helmet use in London.

P.S. Rebecca, if you bring your bike for a service at Velorution, you are welcome to use one of our hire bikes.

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:03:25 +0000

@Nick & @Ralph: It looks like the Standard article was changed. When Ralph posted it there was definitely a reference to helmets being compulsory. This was something that the TfL guy who gave Wednesday night’s talk specifically ruled out.

By: townmouse

townmouse — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:07:34 +0000

As someone who used to cycle in London but who has escaped, I’ll definitely be using this when I visit – much better than suffering the tube. I knew I hung on to my oyster card for a reason

ps @Ralph – I followed the link but didn’t see anything about helmets (which would be a deal-breaker for a visitor like me) – just someting surprisingly sensible about having automatic lights – did I miss something?

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:29:39 +0000

@Ralph – Erm, has the article been changed?

I can’t see anything about cumpolsory helmets. Just that the cycle lights come on automatically (as they do everywhere else a scheme is run).

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:03:06 +0000

Glad to know I’m the King of Quirk!

I’m very excited about the scheme. As I say in my blog today – http://realcycling.blogspot.com/2009/02/hire-and-hire-baby-its-livin-thing.html – a subculture of esoteric knowledge about the docking station network will grow – the most photogenic, the quirkiest, the hiddenest, the ones with the best pubs and restaurants and cafes. There’ll be a whole new set of routes to explore London, based on the network.

By: Ralph Smyth

Ralph Smyth — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:53:15 +0000

You might be depressed by this:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23641281-details/Boris+lays+down+law+on+bike+hire/article.do

I think a helmet rule would be utterly ridiculous but what you’d expect from the hi-viz brigade within TfL.

I gather a key reason why the after-rail market is not being catered for is that it would lead to locational imbalance at the docking stations. In other words this would reduce the number of trips per day as the bikes would be in the wrong place, or there simply wouldn’t be enough space for all the bikes ridden from stations in key central places like West End & City. Could be quite fun seeing the race from the 8:15 to Cannon Street or something though.

While the Velon (as I call it) will mean a 10% increase in trips (though a smaller increase in km cycled as these will be short trips) almost all will be in zone 1, meaning a massive increase in flows. Camden Cycling Campaign have just rejected their local council’s plan to fiddle with the cycle track through Bloomsbury on the basis that it ignored this increase and that much bigger measures are needed if there is not to be a cycle jam…

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:47:38 +0000

Jack
I can see myself using this scheme – and have done from the when it was first proposed. At the present, when a bike needs a service/repairs you are left bikeless for the day as very few cycle shops also run a hire business or sell secondhand bikes so they don’t have a bike to lend you while they work on yours. Plus, if you don’t have a place of work/college or some other place you are based all day, being bikeless massively limits what you can do that day. Having a Bike Hire Scheme will mean you can choose your bike shop because it is good not because it is near your home/place of work, etc, and you will still be able to get to where you want to go.
Following the presentation at the Southwark Cyclists’ meeting, I wonder whether I will be able to dispense with a commuting bike and all associated costs and inconvenience relying instead on the hire bikes for getting round town. With the money thus saved and the space in my bike shed thereby created, I could get a really good touring bike.

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:38:20 +0000

Roll on May 2010 indeed! I can’t wait to this scheme in action and increase cycling in this city. Without a doubt cycling is the best way to get around London, but i can’t blame people who are put off by the perceived risk off cycling. Hopefully this scheme will go a long way to combating this perceived risk.

I’d like to see TFL encourage this scheme as much as possible and as I can see it replacing many short trips made around the city on other modes of transport especially in the centre of London.

On this note, I wonder (and yes this will be controversial i know) if TFL will open up bus lanes in this zone (ie the central zone) just buses and cyclists, ie no taxis (the controversial bit). By no means is this a war against taxi drivers but I can see this working two fold, firstly it will encourage people who use taxis as a short trip across town to use a the new bike hire scheme and secondly it would also free up space for people to cycle across town and make the scheme a truly viable alternative, and therefore encourage cycling even more!

Bring on 2010!