Boris bikes - more to come

And the winner was ... Boris.

So the next 4 years will no doubt see further battles over road design and the totemic policy of 'smoothing traffic flow'; but on a brighter note, the Boris bike is here to stay, and by 2016 (and he apparently won't run for a third term) who knows how widespread they'll be? There are few details of the western extension yet, hopefully these will follow later this year.

Dock construction seems to be taking a pause. A new one has opened in John Islip Street, and Monument Street went live a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not aware of any others under construction which are not now open. It will be interesting to see how the scheme copes during the Olympic months. It's already quite worrying that on a fine evening, most of central London is empty of the bikes by mid-evening, making them useless for evening entertainment. Initially we were promised that more docks and a better understanding of the patterns of use would help Serco solve these problems. It seems the patterns of use are now well-established, and simply accepted.

A very interesting, and encouraging, article appeared recently in Bike Biz. It's an old argument that sheer volume of cyclists will help improve road safety because other vehicles can't help but take greater care. This seems to be happening now in some of the busiest areas of London, such as the City. There's a way to go though before this effect will calm some of our busier routes, and the removal of cycle lanes in favour of narrower streets (take St Paul's Churchyard as an example) can only increase the conflict between cyclists and other traffic.

Boris bikes are coming to New York too, in a scheme which will eclipse our own. 600 docking stations and 10,000 bikes should be in place by this summer, using the Bixi system, originally developed in Canada and used for our own beloved  Boris bikes. The prices are higher than London, but the omens look good for America's most ambitious bike hire scheme to date. Take a look at their website.

Big Ride review, and election preview

So, 10,000 cyclists did indeed take to London's streets, in the rain, to highlight cycle safety ahead of the mayoral and assembly elections this coming Thursday. And I hope you like my picture of some Boris bikes in the protest - there weren't many of us (maybe because it took more than 30 minutes? maybe because it rained and we're fair-weather folk?) but we were a reminder that cycle hire is now firmly a part of London's cycling culture.

Despite his belated conversion to LCC's 'Go Dutch' strategy, I'm going to agree with Londoners on Bikes that Jenny Jones has the best cycling policies for London. She has consistently supported lower speed limits, priority for pedestrians and cyclists on our streets, and street design which builds in safety for cyclists. What is certain is that cycling is now on the agenda in London politics. Whoever wins on Thursday (realistically Ken or Boris) will need to be held to their promises on cycling.

If you think I've not posted much news recently, it's because there hasn't been much. April has been a wash-out and I've cycled less than usual, I assume I'm not alone. Useage statistics for March (it was sunny then, remember?) show a big boost following the eastern extension, up to just under 40,000 hires each day from about 20,000 during the winter months before the extension.

A few new docks have opened in the Haggerston/Hoxton area, also Mudchute DLR (at last) and the Queen Street extension. Still no change at Monument Street, but it's ready for action.

On yer Boris for The Big Ride - 28 April

On the morning of Saturday 28 April a coalition of cycle groups have joined together to organise the Big Ride - a fun cycling day out in London to highlight the need for better and safer facilities for cyclists in London.

Full details are on the LCC website, but you can join a number of feeder rides, and about 10,000 cyclists are expected on the streets of central London, which for one day only will be traffic free.

I'll be at the ride, not only because it'll be great fun, but also I want cycling in London to be available to all Londoners, from children going to school through to older people who could explore London by Boris bike in their retirement. Thank you Boris for the bikes - but whoever the next mayor is needs to deliver streets which we can cycle on, to make cycling an inclusive activity for people of all ages and abilities.

I hope to see you on 28 April, on your Boris bike of course!

Boris bikes for Kingston?

A few weeks ago I wrote about a possible extension to Surbiton. And now it seems Boris has said the same focusing this time on nearby Kingston. Exactly the same caveats apply, and the article itself, if you read past the headline, more or less says 'nice idea but won't happen'.

Despite the beautiful blue bikes, Sustrans gives Mayor Johnson the thumbs down in its assessment of the candidates' transport manifestos.

New docks have opened recently in Limerston Street and Drayton Gardens, extending the zone west along the Fulham Road. Kingsway southbound is also open, as is the long-awaited Abingdon Street Gardens. Strata is fixed at last.

Monument Street has a new dock, not yet active. John Islip Street (Pimlico) has a dock under construction.

I was in Hyde Park yesterday, couldn't get moved for the Boris bikes. Also plenty bikes down on Victoria Embankment, taking advantage of a part-closure for resurfacing.

Mayoral Election - candidates reveal policies on Boris bikes

Cycling is becoming a major issue in the mayoral election, largely thanks to the Times 'Cities Fit for Cycling' campaign. Ken Livingstone is the latest to reveal his priorities (in an article which also helpfully compares the policies f the 4 leading candidates). On Boris bikes, he wants to widen access, extend the bikes to new parts of London, and get better value for money. These are all laudable aims, but I think tough to deliver. There have been a number of articles recently lamenting the fact that councils are having to chip in to fund the bikes. But I'd argue in the opposite direction - cycle hire is a new form of sustainable public transport in London, available at a low price to Londoners. I would actively encourage TfL and the boroughs to invest in the scheme, which will help to relieve congestion and pollution in the capital. Compared to major schemes like Thameslink and Crossrail (both of which are also worth investing in) cycle hire costs a tiny sum. So my message to Ken - yes, extend the bikes to new areas, and of course they need more users, but a good scheme costs money, and is worth investing in.

Plenty more information on cycling and the mayoral eelction is available from Londoners on Bikes.

City cyclists

Just a brief post to flag up the new dock on Monument Street (22 docking points) which is not live yet, but is ready to go soon. With new docks already live on Fore Street and King Edward Street, there has been a welcome increase in capacity in the City of London. Queen Street's expansion is underway, and a new dock should appear on Houndsditch according to plans (though I've not been up there in a while). Still a lack of capacity close to Cannon Street and Blackfriars stations, but things are moving in the right direction.

Bikes to Surbiton?

A local news report suggests that Boris Johnson, if re-elected, would like to bring Boris bikes to Kingston and Surbiton towards the end of his next term (i.e. 2016). Now a quick look at a map is enough to show that Surbiton is quite a long way from the existing zone. To reach Surbiton the bikes would have to be installed across all of Richmond borough too (remember that so far they haven't even reached Wandsworth). So I'm sceptical, but if true it could indicate a very ambitious phase of expansion to come. Yet as of today there is no commitment even to include Brixton in next year's planned extension - as championed by the Bikes2Brixton campaign. Not to mention the lack of bikes in Camberwell and Bermondsey, both closer to central London than Surbiton. Do I sense a bit of party politics here, as Boris probably has more natural allies in southwest London than in Lambeth and Southwark?

As the mayoral election hots up, an interesting online dicussion on cycling took place on the BBC's blog.