Happy Birthday Boris Bikes!

Cycle hire in London is three years old. Seems strange to imagine the Capital without them now, so common a sight are they on our streets.

Here's some news on how the bikes are used, including the disparities between docking stations.

Aldgate Flashride Update

1,500 cyclists took to the streets in a respectful protest on Friday evening in memory of Philippine de Gerin-Ricard, killed on CS2 close to Aldgate. I attended along with several other Boris bikers. Philippine was using a hire cycle at the time of her death.

London's streets must be made safer for all cyclists, from the fastest and most experienced to those who are just taking to two wheels. We must emulate Holland and other countries where cycling is a safe activity for the majority. I join with others in asking the Mayor to make sure CS2 and other superhighways are upgraded to the safest standards so that there will be no other needless casualties on London's roads.

Friday Flashride - Boris biking should be safe

We note with sadness the death of Philippine De Gerin-Ricard, a French student aged 20 who died in a collision with an HGV close to Aldgate on 'Superhighway' 2. She was a regular Boris biker. This stretch of superhighway has been widely criticised for mixing cyclists with aggressive motor traffic, the only evidence of any 'superness' being some blue paint on the road.

This Friday LCC have organised a flashride from Tower Hill to Aldgate, starting at 6.15pm. I will be there. The ride will pause at the site of Philippine's death as a mark of respect. TfL and the Mayor must hear our plea that no more casualties on London's roads should be allowed by a failure to tackle the conflict on our streets. CS2 should be totally overhauled to separate traffic from cycles, upgrading the design to the far better solutions proposed in Stratford for the extension of this same highway. And the City of London needs better plans to keep cyclists safe in Aldgate, where the removal of the gyratory gives an opportunity to change the culture in this area into one where urban space is calmed by being made available to pedestrians and cycles, rather than cars. The current proposals do not go far enough. Please join me on Friday.

In other news ...

Boris bikes are costing taxpayers money. Not a new story but one which will increase pressure for a better sponsorship deal than the one with Barclays. I agree with Jenny Jones, that in its current shape the scheme is not ambitious enough to encourage the levels of cycling needed to make it sustainable.

And if you live in Wandsworth, all the sites are now confirmed for the extension this autumn/winter.

Some of the new docks are starting to go in at last. I've personally seen a site marked off on Holland Park Avenue, and installation is underway at Archbishops Park. News of more sightings would be welcome!

Boris bikes to get eco-helmets?

Here's an article to reignite the timeless 'helmet or not' debate. Personally I think the focus should be on making road conditions safe enough not to need helmets (as is the case in Holland and many other European countries) but it's an innovative idea for sure, and if it helps some people get on a Boris bike who otherwise wouldn't, it's pretty worthwhile.

New docks for London Bridge area

Southwark Council has approved three new docking stations. Of particular interest is the Tooley Street site - being so close to the station it will be very busy I imagine.

The BBC has done an interesting report on how the cycle hire scheme is performing. The new redistribution scheme I reported on a couple of days ago may have an impact on future usage, as obviously will these new docks.

Redistribution Promises

I have just returned from Paris, where the Velib rules the city's streets. Paris is a fascinating case study to compare to London - the streets are wider and have more cycle lanes, but there is still a real problem with congestion and intimidating vehicular traffic. On my short trip I noticed a lot of Velib traffic, though less people using their own bikes. Paris, like London, is making a start but has yet to embrace the bicycle fully.

So back to London, where we are now assured a new contract means we will see better bike availability for us all. It's certainly a step forward. But note Bob Crow's comment: 'If it is not to become an embarrassment to the Mayor, the Boris bike scheme needs more docking stations, more bikes and crucially more and better paid staff'. Mr Crow has a point; the success of the scheme means central London in particular needs more bikes and more people to help manage them. In central Paris the docking stations come thick and fast - compare to London where major destinations such as St James's Park are devoid of docks, and rail stations struggle to meet demand.

In his latest transport vision, the Mayor sees cycle hire as the norm rather than the exception (p38). But the Mayor issues a lot of visions - we need to see a few turned into reality. There is a lot of work still to do. But the direction of travel is encouraging.

In other news ... controversy over the siting of a docking station in Hammersmith and Fulham. We've seen this before of course. For what it's worth, I agree with Mr Aldworth.

Boris Bikes hit the streets in New York

Citibike, the New York version of Barclays Cycle Hire, has launched for members. With 6,000 bikes at over 300 stations, it's the biggest bike sharing system in the US so far, not quite as big as the London scheme yet, but it's only the first week, and it aims to grow. The bikes are differently branded, but are, to all intents, Boris bikes with an American flavour.

Here's the Standard's report, and one from the Huffington Post.

Despite the 'nimby's, cycle hire is here to stay, launching in New York, growing in London, and a feature of many other big cities. I'll be keeping a close eye on how the New York system is received in the coming weeks.