Over 18,500 journeys are being made on London's hire bikes every day, which is even more than the number of press releases TfL send out about the success of the scheme. The latest informs us that over half a million journeys have now been made, and that 80,000 people are signed up as members.
The scheme has unquestionably contributed to London's cycling culture: it has massively increased the proportion of cyclists who blog, tweet and post Facebook updates about empty docking stations here and full docking stations there.
Kings Cross is a good place to see the redistribution process in action. Here, like herds of wildebeest at the watering hole, hire bikes pile up ready to be spread back around the city. So, shortly after this photo, I was overtaken by 20 hire bikes. Unfortunately they were all on a trailer.
what do you do if the docking station you want is full? I have seen a lot of people around town on these which is great and i like to see it is often people wearing suits or smart work outfits, who probably would normally take the tube or a taxi. I was hoping that with the tube strike that everyone would take to their bicycles.
ReplyDeleteIf your intended station is full, you can get an extra 15 minutes free (presumably by putting your key in or poking the terminal appropriately). Finding the nearest station with spaces shouldn't be too hard, as they're shown on screen, and there's a map round the side. Except that you have to be able to match up the name of the docking station on screen with the map - not always easy - and even if you do get to that docking station, you then have to walk back to your intended destination. Which does defeat the object a bit.
ReplyDeleteHire bikes are just great for exploring and having fun and being flexible, but don't rely on them for commuting. You're better off with a bike for that...
These bikes give everyone the opportunity to explore the roads around Kings Cross, including cycling-friendly York Way, Pentonville Road and Euston Road.
ReplyDelete"These bikes give everyone the opportunity to explore the roads around Kings Cross, including cycling-friendly York Way, Pentonville Road and Euston Road."
ReplyDeleteHa! This made me laugh, living close by. Those roads are all terrible. Although York Way could be worse.
You can normally avoid them though. Dipping down into Bloomsbury's not a bad idea, especially the east-west Byng Place/Torrington Place route. North-south, you're a bit more stuck going towards Islington but Pancras Road then Royal College Street is good for Camden.
These redistribution issues seem to be because the bikes are so popular with commuters, that they won't be open for casual use until Christmas - and those casual users "might" have a less tidal flow. And yet the scheme was *not* designed for commuters. They would be better served by, say, proper Superhighways that aren't just blue stripes. Freewheeler seems to think the Euston Road would be a good place for one.
ReplyDeleteThe commuters might be adopting the Boris Bikes because of fears of bike theft if they use their own steeds - so publicising the new cycle hubs like the one at London Bridge (are there any others?) a bit more would be a good idea. More lockers for folding bikes would be a good idea as well.
@ arh14 - Some sections of Pentonville Road have popular contraflow facilities known as "the pavement".
ReplyDelete@ christhebull - No, no, Chris. Euston Road is only six lanes wide. There simply isn't room for Dutch-style cycle paths on roads this narrow.
FYI, freewheeler has reinvented himself as a guerrilla comedian. Ho ho ho.
ReplyDelete@Tim. Indeed. Although perhaps we can refer to the Superhypeways as the "Boris-bahns" (first time I've heard that name for the Smurfways) as the Mayor also seems to like a good joke.
ReplyDeleteI supplement my real bike commuting, with boris bike / train commuting. It means I avoid having to use the tube / bus to cross central london between mainline stations and my office.
ReplyDeleteEssential tool to the avid boris biker is this website which tells you where bikes and spaces are before you set off (or while you're moving if you have an android or iPhone) http://www.oobrien.com/vis/bikes/
@ freewheeler nice one!
ReplyDeleteThere's no room to accomodate bikes on the road, but there's alway plenty of room for cars. I guess it's because the latter are smaller.