A Boris success story?

Nickle

35 quid day to hire a bike?

You can get a car for less.

George Laird

Dear All

The Bike riding scheme!

Bike riding is good if you need to get somewhere quick.

For example if you have a mistress and time is tight, the bike is an excellent mode of transport in London.

You can nip in and out of traffic.

Additional benefits included are, increased aerobic capacity; mobility of joints and generation of heat caused by excessive blood flow through muscles.

You can arrive at your destination in a timeous manner, fit as a fiddle, mentally alert and ready for the meeting.

Bike riding has always been popular in Britain.

How many bikes has Boris had?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Dave B

I rather like this idea.

The Paris scheme seems to have suffered from theft:

"...the Paris taxpayer is being forced to underwrite the cost of running the scheme after 8,000 of the sturdy, grey bicycles - each costing £550 - were stolen and 18,000 damaged beyond repair."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23774092-fears-for-boriss-pound-71m-bike-hire-scheme-as-paris-taxpayers-bail-out-velib.do

But I don't see that as a deal-breaker.

I'm a bit disappointed that a British manufacturer wasn't invited to supply a model, this seems like the sort of contract that Pashley (Royal Mail bike supplier) would be keen to get.

(Wikipedia says these bikes are made by a french company called 'Mercier')

Daniel

And inexact survey of friends and colleagues around town today is unashamedly positive. I must confess that I was a strong sceptic until I saw the scale of the project - just look at how many hire points there actually are - 400 hundred around Zone 1. The scheme is massive, and will therefore be convenient for many people. If you keep journeys under 30 minutes then it only costs £1 per day to use (although the cost rises rapidly for longer periods of hire). In a year's time I would like to know what the real (unsubsidised) cost per mile travelled under the scheme actually is.

Verityred

Hooray, the nurse has let George use the secure unit's laptop again.

Jannie Geldenhuys

Much as I loathe Ken Livingstone, isn't the bike scheme really his idea?

Percy

@Nickle,
I think the point is that you are only renting the bike when you use it, putting it back in the rack when you aren't. You could have loads of short half hour journies that would cost nothing, an hour is a quid I think.

If you want a 24 hour marathon I think there may be better machines available!!

London Calling

As strange as it sounds? …even if Boris’s bike scheme proved unsuccessful I doubt it would be a ruse to knock him off his bike for trying. For a pound a month and free cycling for half an hour, many commuters will benefit from this cycling scheme if they are positioned at high volume areas, which will only be identified in time and easily remedied as the cycling bays are mobile. As for the high price rental daily, personally I think it makes it undesirable considering one weeks rental would buy you a new bicycle from Halfords. Therefore the gimmick aspect for those few who can afford £35 a day rental charges may not be enough to make the scheme a huge success, plus vandalism which has been the thorn in the side of similar schemes abroad. However I am positive that there is a demand for such schemes and therefore success will come down to targeting the quick commutes from home to work and transport… as evident by high volumes of privately owned bicycles that are now stationed outside many train stations, of which the repairs are costly and therefore it is more desirable to be part of a bicycle scheme that works and is at little cost to the commuter as possible…plus…more information on cycle routes through your iphone and online.

As strange as it isn’t…I wish it great success..;)

Frank P

Mercier? Does that mean "Thank you very much, (you gullible English cochons) 'ee-aww-'ee-aww."

George Laird

Dear Verityred

Can you tell us of your biking experiences?

Better still, your experiences of using a train.

What do you prefer to use, a solitary bike or a train?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

ajs

Glad to see G Laird - if it is he - back from the bloggers' cemetery.

Baron

how long will it take for all the bikes to get knicked then?

EC

George Laird,

Boris has ridden many bikes, but not all of them have appeared in the newspapers.

Fergus Pickering

I'm pissing against the wind here, but it's 'Strange as it sounds...' not 'As strange...' which is a (Germanic?) mistake perpetrated by ALL Americans, ignorant people.

jonnyjackhammer

It won't work. Too many thieves (that's a nice front wheel/light/seat I'll have that!) Too much health and safety (beware the 50 point checklist on the D.Inspection schedule.) Too many mechanically illiterate people (I tried to raise the seat but it came out and I couldn't put it back!) Too many utiopian idealists. (And sadly Boris you are one - on this issue at least!)

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

I like and admire Boris, so there is no axe to grind. The fact is I dislike the cyclists I face each day in London. I have almost been run over several times by these wretched creatures. Using pedestian crossings I only proceed when the lights are in my favour, when suddenly, WHOOSH, a maniac pedals frantically in my path and I'm thrown off balance. Many lorry drivers are selfish and travel over the speed limit, but they are gentlemen of the road compared to the men and women on wheels. Not content with snarling up traffic on the roads, cyclists ride on the pavements, some with unfortunate infants clinging to the back. They think they can get away with murder, and it's about time they were severely penalised for dangerous cycling.

George Laird

Dear Anne Wotana Kaye 1

In Scotland it is illegal to drive on the pavement.

Section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, there is probably a similar Act in England.

However, Police Officers like everyone else will not be up to speed with very single Act of Parliament.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

George Laird: I can't speak for Scotland, but here in the UK police only get moving when they are informed of an elderly person who hasn't paid their council rates nor bought their TV Licence. 'Elf and Safety make positive action against villains difficult, it means sending teams of police for counselling every time they face a tough situation. They cannot even manage The Dangerous Dogs Act, hence the streets in certain areas are filled with Hoodies leading scarred and angry hounds who terrify the wits out of ordinary citizens. And you expect them to handle cyclists? Get Real!!

Verity

Although they appear to be very much in the minority in their capital city, I suspect that the great majority of people using this scheme will be the indigenes.