Preparing for the Bikes to Go West

On Sunday I met up with fellow blogger George (Two Wheels Good) and we took Boris bikes from Notting Hill down to the Fulham Road via Brompton Cemetery, then back through The Boltons and Kensington Gardens, eventually docking on Campden Hill. It was a warm afternoon, and cyclists were out in force.


"I love Boris Bikes": George of 'Two Wheels Good'

This area is right on the border of the current cycle hire area (some of it part of the mini western expansion to Westfield back in April). The 2013 expansion will, all being well, take in the rest of Kensington and Chelsea and push out to Hammemsith and Fulham. It is a beautiful part of London, and has some good streets for cycling. I have no doubt Boris bikes will prove popular in this part of west London.

K&C borough are currently consulting on increasing the permeability of more streets. Often it's as simple as adding an 'except cyclists' sign under an existing no entry sign. Bigger streets require a little more work, but it can be done. To maximise the benefits of cycle hire in K&C and elsewhere, this is an important development, allowing access to docks from both directions, and maximising the journeys which can be made by Boris bike, both in terms of shortening routes and avoiding busier roads.

It's easy to get your view to the borough, simply email cycling@rbkc.gov.uk

Iconic west London: St George's on Campden Hill

You could suggest individual streets, but I suggested a bolder set of principles: all smaller streets to be two-way by use of the 'except cyclists' sign; an ongoing programme of opening up larger streets starting with those most used by cyclists; all roads containing docking stations to be earmarked for immediate two-way access.

The expansion of cycle hire in K&C and beyond is good news, but we need infrastructure on the streets to allow as many people as possible, both experienced and novice cyclists, to get the most out of it.

Meet the Managers - what are your questions? - and other Boris updates

According to the Press Association, the latest fans of Boris bikes are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who use them for short trips around the capital. So if you're undocking near Kensington Palace, you never know who might have been sitting on that saddle ahead of you.

It's also reported that Wandsworth Council are consulting residents on where up to 60 docks could be sited in their borough by 2013. This is a great idea as the bikes will actually be sited where people want them rather than where the council happen to have a bit of free pavement. If you're in that borough email hgriffin@wandsworth.gov.uk with your suggestions.

The big news of this week of course is the Meet the Managers online Q&A forum tomorrow (Tuesday) from 19.00-20.30. What questions will you be posing? I've already sent in my submission by email, as below. It would be good to know what other issues users have.


Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for the email about the 'Meet the Managers' online discussion on Tuesday. I have been blogging about Boris bikes at http://iloveborisbikes.blogspot.com/ and contribute regularly on the Boris bikes forum http://www.borisbikes.co.uk/

I think the scheme is very good, and am appreciative that some of the technical glitches are being ironed out.

My main questions relate to bike availability and docking stations:

1. What is being done to tackle the gaps in provision of docking stations and bikes in major business and tourist areas, notably around Green Park / St James Park / Parliament Square?

2. What is being done to improve permeability, especially where docking stations are situated on one-way streets?

3. Can provision of docking stations be improved at rail stations other than Waterloo? Kings Cross / St Pancras is of particular concern.

4. Is it possible to simplify the casual hire procedure? I am often called on to assist at terminals by tourists who find it confusing.

5. The major obstacle to better cycling in London is the road network which is poorly designed for safe cycling and lacks separate space for cyclists. Is Barclays Cycle Hire actively addressing these issues with TfL and the Mayor?

I look forward to reading a report of the discussion.

Does the City love Boris bikes?

Living and working in the City of London is a great experience, and more so since just over 12 months ago we got a whole new set of shiny blue bikes to get around on.

I thought today I'd do a little review of Boris bikes in the City; many of the issues I'm going to touch on are are just as relevant in other boroughs. And if you think you've read all this before, you probably have, there's been plenty of talk about City cycling on the Cyclists in the City blog and on the Boris bikes forum.

Yesterday the City's newest dock opened on Cheapside. Originally there was smaller dock on the other side of the road, but between then and now the road has been totally remodelled to widen the pavements, and the replacement dock has just reopened. About time you might say, Boris bike docks (like cycle parking) are in short supply around here, considering how many people visit the City for business or tourism every day. In the morning, as commuters arrive, the docks fill; in the evening, vice versa. By mid evening there are usually few bikes to be had, a pity really consdiering that later on, once the traffic has quietened down, it's a good place to cycle. Of course, there is no easy answer to remedy this. Redistribution of bikes would need to be on a huge scale, and reliable, and I doubt that's affordable. With so few people living in the City it would be hard to get any natural inflow of bikes, except brought in by tourists and commuters, who tend to arrive together in the morning. More docks we need, naturally, but the City authorities are understandably cautious about losing valuable pavement space.

But Boris bikes do have one valuable contribution to make. The City's streets are choked with traffic most days; Lower and Upper Thames Street are among the busiest and most polluted roads in London. City workers on Boris bikers are a good reminder to the City authorities that things can be different, and we don't necessarily need to prioritise motor traffic on every road. The political wheels of the City move slowly, but a 20mph speed limit is under consideration, eight new docks are due for construction in the phase 2 expansion (see a map), permeability is improving (Wood Lane has gone two-way and 17 other streets are up for consideration, Cyclists in the City reports), and a Boris bike will take centre-stage at the City Cycle Style event. As someone whose first experience of cycling in London was wobbling down Eastcheap on day 1 of the Boris bikes, I'm hopeful for a better future for cycling in the Square Mile.