Wednesday 31 March 2010

Paris-style 'Boris bikes' arrive in July

London's promised "revolution in cycling", based on the Paris velib bike-hire network, will begin on 30 July, Boris Johnson will announce today.

Londoners and visitors to the city will be able to pick up and drop off one of 6,000 hire-bicycles at 400 locations across the centre of the capital.

The scheme, originally proposed by Ken Livingstone, Mr Johnson's predecessor as London Mayor, hopes to avoid the problems that have plagued the popular Parisian velib network, where half the bikes have been lost or stolen.

Users will pay an initial membership fee of £1 for 24-hour access, £5 for seven-day access, or £45 a year. They can make unlimited journeys and the first half-an-hour will be free. On top of that, the London Cycle Hire charge for members will be £1 for a journey of between 30 minutes and one hour, £4 for up to 90 minutes, and £6 for up to two hours. Cyclists will use a new smart-card – similar to an Oyster card – to unlock the bikes.

Mr Johnson, said: "In just four months London will glitter with the twinkling dynamo lights of thousands of shiny hire bikes, zipping around the streets unfettered from timetables, queues and crowds."

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/parisstyle-boris-bikes-arrive-in-july-1931639.html

1 comments:

Tony said...

summary of Facebook replies:

Tatia Singleton
I love this idea in theory. Hope it works in practice.

Vicki Singleton
Ok seriously, they need to stop encouraging cyclists in London. Half-car, half-pedestrian, jumping red lights at crossings and expecting people to run out of the way just cus they cba to stop, hopping between pavement and road at will, not indicating when they're turning, and looking smug and superior the whole time... they're a menace!

Vicki Tyrrell
and lets not forget they don't pay to use the roads like us car drivers! their bikes don't have to have an MOT, so can be completely knackered, and they don't have to have insurance, so if they do cause an accident you still end up paying!

Tony Singleton
We're not all like that, honest! And I do have insurance funnily enough it also includes breakdown insurance. Still I would rather be hit by a bike than a drunk driver or a driver paying more attention to a mobile phone the way all car drivers do

Oh and car drivers don't pay to use the road. Road tax was abolished in 1937. They (and cyclists who drive) pay car tax (vehicle excise duty). :-)

Vicki Tyrrell
what do you mean pay more attention to your mobile the way all car drivers do, cheeky bugger, some of us do use handsfree or switch off when driving

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