Bike station planned for City commuters

The membership-only stations will have racks of tools so that cycling commuters can carry out basic servicing or repair punctures. In time they could have cafés, too.

The first cycle station is expected to open in High Holborn in March, funded by a £200,000 grant from Transport for London in partnership with Camden council and the Holborn Business Partnership.

The station will be underground, taking up rooms beneath an existing block of offices and will be manned during open hours by a receptionist.

Camden hopes that if it succeeds, the project will lead to a chain of similar stations across the capital.

"The aim is to make life a little easier for commuters who already cycle in to work and to attract more cyclists," said Laurie Baker, Camden's transport planning team manager.

"One of the main deterrents stopping more people riding is the lack of facilities so we hope this will help, especially for workers whose employers do not provide them."

The new station will be prominently signposted and will include 90 spaces where bicycles can be locked securely to steel "Sheffield" stands.

Riders will also be able to use lockers to store clothing and riding gear such as helmets and shoes. There will be a membership fee, the size of which which has yet to be decided.

The Evening Standard's Safer Cycling campaign has been demanding extra, secure facilities for the capital's cyclists as part of a 12-point charter.

At the moment, only 1.5 per cent of all journeys in the capital are made by bicycle. However, there has been an 83 per cent rise in cycling in London since 2000, according to Transport for London, taking the total number of cycle journeys each day to 480,000.

Under its new Green Transport Strategy, Camden is proposing more electric charging facilities for electricpowered cars and motorcycles.

It also wants to boost the number of car clubs, enabling members to rent vehicles for short periods of time instead of running their own car.

Another aim of the strategy is to help schools develop "green travel plans" to cut the number of cars on the roads, as well as boosting access to open spaces and improving signs to local walking routes.

The consultation period for the proposals will end on 22 February.