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@dulwichrider
@jamiejay - I don't think you quite got my point. It's not about the speed of the bikes it's about availability. More than half the time I have planned to use one I have not been able to, and that includes several 20-30 minute walks trudging from one docking point to another.
I'm glad to hear you've had good experiences of them but if most people can't use them - with even early-adopters struggle to get hold of them - then they'll remain a bit of froth on top of the transport infrastructure - like tourist buses - rather than anything regular Londoners can rely upon (unless they are geographically lucky, or work very non-standard hours). Maybe it'll change, maybe it'll expand, but if the system's failing now imagine what it'll be like when casual use is eventually allowed.
State funding for cycling isn't a magic pot of never-ending money, and these wasteful investments in blue mean we haven't got other cycling things, probably now for a generation. As someone who thinks smurf lanes are also largely a waste of time, and failing to be able to use the BBs, I see this as something of a tragic fail.