London Cycle Hire

I was thinking about nicking one today just for the sake of it. A guy opposite my work just left ut propped up outside Argos for about 15 mins.

I was thinking about nicking one today just for the sake of it. A guy opposite my work just left ut propped up outside Argos for about 15 mins.

Go on will give you a tenner for it

Go on will give you a tenner for it

£15 here....

I could be on to something here...

Just got my key this evening. Have spent three weeks trying to register only to find out that they don't accept apostrophes in people's names. When asked, hey said it wasn't due to a desire to keep people of Irish extraction off the street but I am not sure if I believe them.

Anyway. Coming soon.

The Great Hire Bike Race

Details will be made available when I have spoken to a few people. Volunteers for marshalls very welcome.

article about the problem of the unidirectional commute...

City centres, like London, where people work but don't live create an inherent problem for bike hire schemes.

solututions?
hire more trucks to move bikes around
create more docking points at places with heavy demand for parking.
(My solution- subsidised low rent for people wishing to live in the centre of town who work in the suburbs)

(My solution- subsidised low rent for people wishing to live in the centre of town who work in the suburbs)

That's not a solution at all. The problem relates to the excess of jobs over residences in the centre. It would make more sense to move some jobs to the suburbs, and thus free up space in the centre to provide a balance there too.

You watch, I've heard HSBC are in talks with Pashley about cargo trikes for hire. . .goodbye white van man?

That's not a solution at all. The problem relates to the excess of jobs over residences in the centre. It would make more sense to move some jobs to the suburbs, and thus free up space in the centre to provide a balance there too.

Agree. Both approaches would be best. Move jobs out of centre & move people to live in space vacated by work places. That may sort the bike hire docking problems at kings cross and also make the centre of london a more pleasant place to be.

. .goodbye white van man?

Only for freight which originates within a mile or so of its final destination. Much of the freight delivered into the centre of London originates from either the 35-40mile radius "zone of influence", or from further afield and is transshipped onto the final delivery vehicle at warehouses in Zone 2. To transfer that to pedal power would require either roadside distribution as used by the Post Office in the suburbs, which is an expensive extra handling operation not well suited to parcel freight or urgent deliveries, or the construction of sorting warehouses in the centre to accept HGV trunk freight for "last mile" delivery by human power.

I don't doubt that human powered good vehicles will take some of the goods which might otherwise have been on a van, but the vehicles have been available for decades and their market penetration has, if anything, fallen, thanks to the dominant influence of labour cost over all other costs in the logistics business. In the olden days, shops had delivery boys with freight bikes/trikes, and they have all but disappeared in favour of vans. It will take a large subsidy, in the form of fuel or road usage taxes on motor vehicles, to make human powered freight economically viable outside of specific niche applications. With the national economic model predicated on growth, I can't see any imminent appetite in government for crippling business efficiency with punitive taxes.

Just got my key this evening.

Boris Bike RP laps on Thursday Clive?

As for racing, I was thinking of a 1 lap TT,
undock>outer circle anti-clockwise>dock.
Skin suits and aero helmets not compulsory.

Talking of keys how does one actuallyget hold of one?

The website looks like they post it to you but is it possible to get the keys quick sharp?

Skin suits and aero helmets not compulsory.

ftfy

Article about the Dublin version. Cheaper, more popular, seems to be less tech issues than the London version as well (although maybe thats because the Dublin scheme is smaller), and personally I think the bikes are better - they've got a basket and the docking mechanism is different, less prone to thievery and messing (the London one is more akin to the Paris velib afaik)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2010/0818/1224277059948.html

I'm on holiday in sunny Barcelona at the moment - they have a hire scheme too with the silly name of bicing. The bikes look a lot more like 'normal' bikes if you ignore the wheel size differences, but don't seem much lighter than the London ones.
As a tourist you need to lie and say you live in Barcelona to get access - I haven't bothered, but watching people on them they seem to have a higher top gear than the London ones. Barcelonians (?) seem to be able to get up to a decent pace on them with relative ease.

article about the problem of the unidirectional commute...

City centres, like London, where people work but don't live create an inherent problem for bike hire schemes.

solututions?
hire more trucks to move bikes around
create more docking points at places with heavy demand for parking.
(My solution- subsidised low rent for people wishing to live in the centre of town who work in the suburbs)

Pay some skaters to move the bikes to the empty stands and then skate back

Talking of keys how does one actuallyget hold of one?

The website looks like they post it to you but is it possible to get the keys quick sharp?

I ordered mine yesterday (via the website) and it turned up today so it's pretty quick :)

Do not put the hire key in your mouth. It took a whole pint to get rid of the taste

Thanks for the warning

I'm a pioneer, its what i do.

Even saddle up, I feel I may have an issue on Bozzer's bikes

so have i

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bit peed off with cycle hire even though i like it a lot.

Don't have a fancy iphone which tells me where all thh docking stations are and how populated they are so my story this morning using the actual map that was delivered with my key.

Cycled to Westminster tried to park at Westminster bridge southside. Docking Station doesn't appear to have been installed. Cycle to Smith Square but docking station is full. Cycle to Victoria Street near Methodist Hall where a docking station has not been installed. Cycled along embankment where a docking station was being installed but wasn't ready for me. Eventually parked near the strand and walked ten minutes back to Westminster. All in all half an hour late cos of a map that was shit and feeling a bit pissed off.

Tried this out yesterday. Pretty good I thought, but helps to know where you are going to dock in advance. The brakes were a bit shit, but cars gave me at least an extra metre when passing compared to when I normally ride, which was interesting.

^^^^ God bless you, wobbly nodders!

For your hesitant riding style, unpredictable manoevres and poor roadcraft, thus making BorisBikes(tm) safer for more experienced riders, we, the cyclists of London, hereby salute you.

I was a victim of a Boris-bike (iphone using) hate crime - minding my own business on way to the Oval on Fri, waiting at the traffic lights, on phone, pulled away, putting phone in pocket and was cut up by a hybrid rider shaking his fist at me. So caught up with him (which takes some doing on low gi and a bike weighing best part of 1/2 tonne) and mentioned that his wanking technique was poor....then rather than stopping at the next lights, he said I needed a better bike and pulled a RLJ? There's some odd types south of the river..... wasn't you was it tea bee?