London Cycle Hire Scheme

[omniprescient]

Quote "The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have announced that London's anticipated Cycle Hire scheme will launch on Friday 30 July 2010.

From this date, Londoners and visitors to the city will be able to pick up and drop off one of thousands of hire bicycles at hundreds of locations across London's zone one travel area."

Who thinks it'll be a success? Who plans to use it? My fear is the bikes will get stolen (as has happened in Paris) or that they will not be maintained adequately. Has anyone any experience of using similar schemes elsewhere?

[Izodia]

I've used a similar scheme in Montreal. It worked really well there and meant that we only used the metro once. The weather was warm and it was great to fly around above ground and I think it worked out to be cheaper than the metro anyway.

But Montreal is a smaller city and for the most part has a grid system so it's easier to navigate. And the roads are much wider with big wide cycle lanes. I'm a fairly unsure cyclist but there all these things meant it was easy just to take it at my own pace, not getting in the way of other cyclists or being squashed by cars and trucks.

And we were tourists so we were staying and travelling fairly centrally where bikes were available. I'm not sure how much use the bikes were to people living further out like us in East Dulwich.

[titch juicy]

don't you have to scan a credit/debit card to use a bike- if they are stolen then surely a charge for the bike will be leived?

[Huguenot]

It's sad isn't it, that because we reject a national ID scheme we have to rely on commercial organisations like banks to protect law and order...

[omniprescient]

Izodia - London will certainly present more challenges to the novice cyclist than somewhere like Montreal with its wide cycle lanes - cycle lanes in London are normally just a white line painted on the road which many drivers ignore. You won't be able to bring the bikes out as far as dulwich (the parking bays finish at North Lambeth) - the scheme is intended for short journeys in the city centre - say from your rail terminal to your office in the city. Regarding the CC deposit - my colleagues think that the bikes will be subjected to cloned CC scams - but that remains to be seen. I for one hope that it is a success and definitely intend to use it when travelling in central London

[Izodia]

Yes you have to scan a credit/debit card as a deposit. I think the idea is that there are plenty of bike stands. You take it out at one stand and cycle to another and dock there. So used like that, theft isn't really a problem.

London will undoubtably present more challenges. But I'm in agreement with omnipresent. It would be great if it's a success. It can work really well and be very convenient. And perhaps if it takes off enough, London may become a little more cycle friendly for novices like me.

[Marmora Man]

Huguenot Wrote:

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It's sad isn't it, that because we reject a national ID scheme we have to rely on commercial organisations like banks to protect law and order...

What is the connection between a national ID card and Law and Order? How will requiring the majority to submit to having their entire personal details and details of most of their transactions held on one national, probably flawed, database help maintain said law and order? Villians and bad'uns will learn to live "under the radar" or forge false ID cards - Say No2ID