Around the boroughs - Tower Hamlets

Isle of Docks - Boris bikes in Tower Hamlets

In April 2012 cycle hire went live across the whole borough of Tower Hamlets in the first major extension of the Boris bike scheme. Tower Hamlets is a borough of great contrasts, with huge diversity, areas of poverty, and of course the headquarters of Barclays, the main sponsors of the bikes.

Story so far: At launch only the western margins of the borough had docks, such as at Wapping High Street and Leman Street. Quickly it was announced that the first extension would cover the whole borough, including the affluent Canary Wharf area, home of Barclays. With two superhighways (2 and 3) in the borough, you might have thought it a recipe for success, but CS2 in particular has been widely criticised, and cycling infrastructure in the borough isn't quite as good as it could be. There are also notable gaps - why no docks in riverside Limehouse, or on Westferry Road? The closeness of the bikes to Greenwich have led to some interesting excursions, but it will be a long time before we see docks on that side of the river.

Olympic glory - new dock coming to Old Ford Road

Coming soon: Tower Hamlets is more or less a done deal, though I know of one new station at the eastern end of Old Ford Road, close to the Olympic Park, which has also raised objections from locals. News of others would be welcome!

The future? A real opportunity for Tower Hamlets would arise if the bikes are extended to the Olympic Park. It would also be great if some of the gaps in the borough could be closed. Extension of the bikes north of Victoria Park could in future help the cycling culture there, and more docks are definitely needed at the western end of CS3.

Boris rating: 6

Higher Fares - Some Further Comments

Last week it was reported that Boris bike access charges will double from January 2013. There is some further useful comment on the folly of this decision on the Two Wheels Good blog.

I was contacted by the Evening Standard to get my view on funding and charges for the bikes. My suspicion is that when the edict came from City Hall to install the scheme across London they believed that the funding secured from Barclays plus the charges would cover the costs to finance the scheme. Now that this has not been the case, charges are rising to cover losses.

Some might argue that Boris should renegotiate a better deal with Barclays. I think it might be too late for that now, and actually it somewhat misses the point. Why should a major transport initiative be relyng on private sponsorship to make it viable? Exactly the same point can be made incidentally, for the Emirates Airline.

If TfL and the mayor are serious about introducing bikes across London to enable as many Londoners as possible to use them to get about cheaply, then they need to be properly financed from a central transport budget. Let's be clear - Boris bikes cost peanuts compared to Crossrail, or the reconstruction of London Bridge Station, or a new Northern Line to Battersea. Their initially low cost made them instruments of potential social transformation. But at £2 a go, why not take a bus, it'll be cheaper, or a tube, hardly more expensive. When the borough of Tower Hamlets, one of London's most deprived, agreed to put funds towards the bikes, did they realise a year later prices would be rising to rob local users of the cheap transport they had been promised?

If Boris biking is to have a future it should be funded centrally from a London-wide transport budget, not by dubious deals with commercial sponsors. Fare increases should be kept in line with other modes of transport, and the scheme affordable to less affluent Londoners. If not, I fear our love affair with the Boris bike might be over.

Isle of Docks

Continuing my, very occasional, series of posts on Boris biking around town, I headed to the Isle of Dogs on Thursday to sample the cycle culture in a part of London where long-establishd communities rub shoulders with big business at Canary Wharf.


Plenty space here - docks on Manchester Road

Getting to the Isle is easy by bike - Superhighway 3 whizzes you out from the City through Shadwell and Limehouse and before you know it, you're at Westferry, ready to go south onto the island. To the east lie the big businesses of Canary Wharf, including the headquarters of Barclays, sponsors of our blue friends. It's here in the Wharf that the greatest density of docking stations is to be found, presumably because this is a prime location for commuting. Compared to the City, the docks seem bigger and more carefully planned to meet demand. My only real worry is the awkwardness of accessing the area - CS3 actually skirts round to the north and signed bike lanes into the heart of the business district seem non-existent.

At this point I cheated because I docked and took the DLR to Mudchute, which has an impressive docking station right outside the station. Shame it was inoperative. I walked across Millwall Park (a worthwhile visit in itelf) to Stebondale Road, and picked up a bike. Here on the east side of the island, there are numerous large docking stations. Manchester Road isn't too busy with traffic, and biking is fun. A useful station is positioned right next to Island Gardens, where you can grab a coffee. I took a walk through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel - the lifts have been refurbished, so it's now easier to cross with your bike. Don't take your Boris though, there are no docking stations in Greenwich yet.

By the Thames - Napier Avenue

Back on the island, I undocked again and headed east to Napier Avenue, in a beautiful riverside location. You have to know where it is though, it's so far from any other dock it doesn't appear on the '5 minute walking' maps on any of the terminals. Westferry Road is to the west of the island what Manchester Road is on the east, but narrower and with more traffic. Cycle lanes don't exist, nor it seems do any docks. Alpha Grove is a bit off the beaten track in a rather run-down estate - for the more modern riverside developments on this side of the island, there are no docks at all north of Napier Avenue. The other location where a dock is needed, but missing, is at South Quay - it would seem natural to install one here close to the DLR station. I finished my ride by heading south off Marsh Wall into the Crossharbour area, and finally docked at Millharbour.

I'm not sure whether Boris bikes get used much on the Isle of Dogs. It's not 'on the way' to anywhere, and apart from the business area at the north there isn't much to bring you onto the island unless you live there. The streets are quieter than a lot of London, which makes cycling pleasant, apart from Westferry Road, but with various docks (the watery kind!) and parks, it can be a bit awkward finding the best routes round the area. It's also an area still in transition, plenty new offices and flats are still going in. I hope more docks are built on the west side of the island, and at South Quay, but otherwise I think the bikes are a positive presence in this part of Tower Hamlets, and I'd recommend a ride out there.

E minus 7

Happy St David's Day, marking of course just one week to go until the eastern extension of cycle hire goes live. And not only east london will benefit, I've recently seen a new dock on Ladbroke Grove, and also on Bishop's Bridge Road in Bayswater.

Maybe it's the good weather, but I'm sure I'm seeing more Boris bikes on the streets these days. The opening of the extension could mark a real 'coming of age' of cycling in London, pushing it from a minority pleasure to the mainstream. LCC and others are organising the biggest bike ride ever seen in London on 28 April, another great day to celebrate and put pressure on politicians for safer roads better designed for cyclists.

A rather odd argument seems to have sprung in a few papers about the fact that councils are contributing to the funding of cycle hire. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this is exactly what my council should be doing - investing in public transport infrastructure which is safe and sustainable. Tower Hamlets will be putting this to the test next week. Let's hope the sun is shining.

Bikes to Wandsworth

Plans are advancing for 80 new docking stations in Wandsworth borough, it is reported.

Meanwhile docks are springing up all over the place in Tower Hamlets ahead of a switch on of the eastern extension probably in March. Docking stations are also under construction westwards through Holland Park towards Westfield, and north into Camden Town. 'Intensification' of the central zone is also promised, but only a modest number of new docks have appeared so far: Oval, Crinan Street and Killick Street are already active, Red Lion Street, Kennington Station and Grays Inn Road are installed but not yet operational - I'd be interested to hear if any others are under construction.