London Cycle Hire

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_8293000/8293273.stm

I think it looks nice.

To be fair, I tried that and it didn't work.

www.londonfgss.com/thread31018.html

But two posts below.

I would have suggested that you UTFS, but the title and content of the other thread were clear as mud.

But, to be consistent, UTFS anyway.

beat me to it... or he could have just used his eyes / mouse and hovered

Searching in 'threads' for 'cycle hire' brings up nothing.
But searching in 'posts' for 'cycle hire' does bring up the thread.

Crazy world.

I like this:

that bike looks shit.

that bike looks shit.

i'd rather hire that bike, then jump on the tube/bus.

If you notice people repeating threads, try tagging the original threads with useful tags so they do come up in searches. You can ask VB to merge the dupes too..

i'd rather hire that bike, then jump on the tube/bus.

same -

Given the first look at the capital's new hire bike, BBC London was. 6,000 of them parked will be, on 400 docking stations next summer. hmmmmm.

The first Jedi Master to give it a go, I was.

Retro, heavy and robust with wide handlebars, it looks. 3 gears it has and a small metal rack on the front. I dark blue certainly distinctive it is.

i was gonna do the whole article but i'm just not stoned enough.

Been given the first look at the capital's new hire bike, bbc london has. If to plan all goes, 6,000 of them, parked on 400 docking stations next summer, will be.

The first journalist to give it a go, I was...

Retro, it looks retro, with wide handlebars heavy and robust, 3 gears and a small metal rack on the front - but in dark blue, certainly distinctive, is it. Bit different is the transport for london logo on the frame, the only give-away that it is.

They only, use it for just over an hour but I gave it a good run out around city hall, let us.

darth johnson's spin doctors said about the bike: "Ten times better than I thought it would look, that is."

Form & function.

There is no doubt it is built for durability speed not, but that said, still get up a fair lick on them, you can. To pedal quite hard to get the speed up in the, you do have "Sit up and beg" Position though.

I would fancy doing a long journey on it not, but for tootling around in town it could be pretty easy to use and the idea is convenient will it be.

Lot heavier than my hybrid commuter bike for example but it handles pretty well, it is. No cross bar and there is a chain guard to stop your suit trousers getting shredded, there is. Also a dynamo-driven led light on the front, there is.

Simple, the gears are - of the old grifter there a twist grip and a touch - it only slipped into the dreaded and "Neutral" Once in an hour. Cause the maintenance crews, I do wonder from my own experience how many problems mending those gears will...

London cycle hire scheme.
The bikes, available 24 hours a day, will be, 365 days a year.
Able to pick up and drop off hire bikes at 400 locations across the nine london boroughs and several royal parks in zone 1, will people be.
Docking stations every 300m in the cycle hire scheme area will there be.
Generate an extra 40,000 daily cycle trips in central london, an initial 6,000 bikes will.

Work, it how will.

Based on a similar scheme called the bixi in montreal in canada, is it.

Use credit cards to place an automatic refundable deposit on the bike or you will be able to do a weekly, you will, monthly or annual subscription.

Been worked out yet the prices have not. And parked at 400 or so docking stations around central london will the bikes be. Able to return the bike to any of the other docking stations around town you will be.

The dark blue bike is designed so it will be attractive to thieves and the deposit is meant to stop it ending up in the thames every friday night not. Seen thousands nicked, paris in particular has.

Get the bus instead, hmm?

Of concerns critics give you plenty: No oyster card compatibility (we think), no helmets, too expensive, no docking points near train stations, it is too zone one and, of course the cost, there is.

Unlike the paris velib scheme the cost will come straight from central funds (transport for london) and advertising not.

Cost £140 million over 6 years, london's cycle hire scheme will.

Safety.

Safety, the real issue though is.

Estimated 10 cyclists have been killed this year on the capital's roads, is it.

Transport advisor kulveer ranger outlines the new bike hire scheme.

Tell you the number of cyclists injured or killed has fallen 20 per cent in the last decade while the number on the roads has gone up 100 per cent, transport for london will. But with cycling novices and tourists heading off into the capital's traffic on this hire bike - more accidents could the fear is there be.

Trying to combat that by running safety awareness courses, tfl are. It be enough, will, hmm?

The people's choice.

The reaction from other londoners, what really surprised me was. Unusually large, the bike certainly turned heads on tooley street near city hall as it looks striking and it is.

Definitely give it a go and use a bike hire scheme, I asked a few londoners for their opinion and all of them apart from a builder said they loved it and they would. Be able to carry his tools on it the builder said he would not. Love to give it a go, even a lycra-clad cyclist said he would.

To be the most sustainable the mayor boris johnson wants these bikes, of public transport ever seen in the capital environmentally friendly form. To be part of his legacy he wants them. To deliver it, now they just have. Yeesssssss.

Yoda?

familiar to you, my avatar looks now mmm?

The dark blue bike is designed so it will be attractive to thieves

Presumably you meant the opposite?

Unlike the paris velib scheme the cost will come straight from central funds (transport for london) and advertising not.

No possibility for advertisers to negotiate one contract for the whole of London. They'd have had to deal with 33 local authorities plus TfL and they didn't fancy that.

Safety, the real issue though is.

But with cycling novices and tourists heading off into the capital's traffic on this hire bike - more accidents could the fear is there be.

The key stat that needs to improve is not absolute numbers of collisions--it's the collision rate. Absolute numbers of collisions may well go up if the scheme is a success and increases cycling. However, the collision rate in Paris went down, too. There is no reason to assume that it won't be the same thing in London.

I love the bit in the video where the cameraman gets a huge shadow of himself in the shot.
BBC: So professional these days aren't they?

The key stat that needs to improve is not absolute numbers of collisions--it's the collision rate. Absolute numbers of collisions may well go up if the scheme is a success and increases cycling. However, the collision rate in Paris went down, too. There is no reason to assume that it won't be the same thing in London.

presumably that because there's more cyclists on the road as well as more inexperience cyclists, drivers are more wary of them, is that right?

I think its sheer weight of numbers. The embankment at rush hour is a classic example. You can see the nearside lane is often completely given up to cyclists. A car venturing there would get swamped by bikes at the next red light and could only escape by getting back into the outside lane. Thus leaving the nearside lane a safe haven for the cyclists. We are so obvious it impossible to ignore us. Now this might be hard to believe, but I've even had courteous reactions from cabbies.

I used to ride in to the Old Polytechnic of Central London from Herne Hill in the 80's. Nary was the day when I wasn't clipped by a wing mirror, or slammed into the kerb, and to arrive without having had a half dozen encounters with vehicles driven by people who either weren't bothered about you or just plain didn't see you was a rare day indeed. Today, well it's bike heaven compared to those bad ol' days.

presumably that because there's more cyclists on the road as well as more inexperience cyclists, drivers are more wary of them, is that right?

It's a simple shift away from being a minority. Minorities often get discriminated against and bullied. As cycling gets normal, that is changing. Overall, the modal share is still quite low, but, as Wildgoose describes, there are already times and places in London where cycling easily has critical mass.

Preliminary map of Cycle Hire locations by Camden Cycling Campaign:

http://maps.camdencyclists.org.uk/allroutes/?menu=Camden-selective&center=51.5223,-0.126171&zoom=14&maptype=G_NORMAL_MAP&onMarkers=TfLHireStations

There'll still be some changes, but it gives you an idea.

These bikes are going to be near enough everywhere from that Camden map, will love to see how the uptake will be from residents compared to tourists

We're looking forward to it immensely in the LCC. We think it's going to be a massive step-change and hope that the number of bikes will be increased very soon. The main stumbling block so far seems to have been putting the docking stations in, as London's underground world is a Kafkaesque nightmare--discovering lost basements, unknown service pipes, and the like. :)

Preliminary map of Cycle Hire locations by Camden Cycling Campaign:

http://maps.camdencyclists.org.uk/allroutes/?menu=Camden-selective&center=51.5223,-0.126171&zoom=14&maptype=G_NORMAL_MAP&onMarkers=TfLHireStations

There'll still be some changes, but it gives you an idea.

cheers, nice to have a look at whats sortof in store, and by that token where to expect a larger number of hire cyclists about.

oddly noticed someone cycling through newington green up onto green lanes on a hire bike the other week. does anyone know if TfL/Boris' staff have been asked to do some sort of beta test runs to see how well the bikes cope with the traffic/impacts of use?

I don't know how long they've been there, but I snapped these cameraphone pictures of the new stands:

https://secure.bmtmarinerisk.com/files/stands.jpg
https://secure.bmtmarinerisk.com/files/stand1.jpg
https://secure.bmtmarinerisk.com/files/stand2.jpg

Hmm, seems the [IMG] tag doesn't like HTTPS URLs...

They won't have been there long.. The other day we got a letter posted to the shop I work in from TfL telling us about the new stands being installed on the strand.