London's Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, launched on 30 July 2010, has had its teething problems but there's no denying it's been a success. The first six months of the scheme saw a total of 2.5 million cycle journeys made using the scheme's hefty blue bikes, according to Transport for London (TFL). With 112,000 members as of March 2011 (“Cycling is set fair to bloom in the capital”, Andrew Neather, Evening Standard, 9 March 2011), and a win in the Transport Category of the Brit Insurance Design Awards 2011, it is fair to say the scheme has got off to a good start.
London's Boris Bikes
The bikes, popularly dubbed Boris bikes after the city's flamboyant mayor Boris Johnson during whose tenure the scheme started, can be found at docking stations across central London. More docking stations, such as those near the Victoria and Albert Museum and at Elephant and Castle, are being added to the network.
In February 2011 Transport for London announced plans to extend the scheme eastwards to Tower Hamlets in the run-up to the London Olympics in 2012. The expansion will see around 8000 bikes and 14,400 docking stations at hundreds of locations across central and east London.
Sponsored by Barclays Bank, the scheme initially opened just to members. By the end of 2010, the scheme was extended to casual users who can access the bikes with the use of a credit card.
How to Use London's Rental Bikes
Membership of the scheme is recommended for those who plan to use the bikes on a regular basis – once a week or more. The scheme is aimed at promoting short journeys by bike, with the first 30 minutes of use being free. The price goes up fairly steeply after that. There have been some gripes about this, but it is possible to get across a good part of central London in 30 minutes by bike.
Here's a quick guide to how to use the bike hire scheme as a member:
- Register for membership via the TFL website. You have three payment options – daily (£1), weekly (£5) and yearly (£45). For £3, you will be sent a key, with which you can unlock your bike from its docking station.
- Armed with your key, choose your bike at a docking station. Insert the key, and wait for the light to turn green.
- When the light turns green, quickly take out the key and the bike from the docking station.
- Cycle away.
- Return the bike to any docking station, making sure it is firmly pushed in. Again, wait for the light to turn green, which will confirm the bike is securely locked. This is an important point, as a failure to return the bike will result in £300 being taken from your account.
With regard to the last point, the bikes have no locks, meaning they can only be locked once they are returned to a docking station. Given the hefty charges for lost, damaged and non-returned bikes, it's not a good idea to leave them standing while buying a newspaper.
As cycling increases in popularity in the city, those brave enough to take on London's traffic have a growing number of opportunities.
Paris Franz - Paris Franz is a London-based freelance journalist, specialising in the arts, history and travel.
