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Now Mayor plans £81m second wave of bicycles for hire
5 Aug 2010Boris Johnson is on the verge of almost doubling the size of his central London bike hire scheme, the Standard can reveal.
The Mayor is proposing to spend a further £81 million on more Boris bikes, partly for commuters arriving at mainline rail stations.
About 200 bikes could be installed at Waterloo and talks with Network Rail about other stations are in the early stages. This is a radical departure from the £140 million first phase of the scheme, during which bikes were located away from stations as it was thought there were too few to cope with anticipated demand.
Mr Johnson also wants to expand the scheme in east London for the 2012 Games, although cycling is banned inside the Olympic Park.
The Standard has learned that Transport for London's board — which is chaired by the Mayor — is due to decide next month whether to invest an extra £81.7 million in the cycle hire scheme. The spending is not sure to be approved because of the state of TfL's finances.
Since the launch of the bikes on Friday, more than 30,000 people have paid for membership, allowing them to cycle free for up to 30 minutes. The 5,000 bikes are each being used on average once a day.
Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's transport adviser, said: “The Mayor is extremely proud of the hard work that has gone into the launch of the cycle scheme, the positive manner in which Londoners have embraced it and the patience they have shown when minor issues have occurred.
“He has always said that if the scheme was a success he would be keen to see it expanded.”
A TfL spokeswoman said: “Expansion could include extending the scheme to the east of London in time for the Olympics and intensifying the number of docking stations in the existing cycle hire area. We hope to make an announcement later this year.”
TfL chiefs are in talks about increasing the number of docking stations from about 320 to 400 and getting 1,000 more bikes on the street. About 100 proposed docking station sites have been dropped because of technical problems or council objections.
DeVinci, the Canadian firm responsible for building the Boris bikes, has not received a new order.
A Network Rail spokesman said: “We have held positive discussions with TfL regarding the installation of cycle hire points at Waterloo station.”
Reader views (35)
As a user of the cycle hire scheme (and not a crony from any political camp), all I can say is what a relief. I didn't think this would get off the ground either. And it has fully surpassed my expecations. Who would have thought that one month on we would be clamouring for more? Not more 'Barclays' branded bikes, note.
1. The whole point of the scheme mjd, mickinlondon, et al, is not to own a bike. Anyone who has, and has tried to use it around Central London knows, it will be nicked no matter how expensive and top-of-the-range your lock is. I have watched cycle thieves cut through the frame of a bike to get the bike off the stand. So the purpose of this is to create a set of bikes you can't sell.
2. Angela makes a very good point about air pollution, which is the biggest problem in London, and the increase in population is not going to improve it. Increased cycling facilities will.
3. London has to sort out the one way system which totally baffles most people, and cycle hire users need more docking stations to pick up and drop off their bikes.
4. Finally, the cycle hire scheme, where every bike is clearly numbered, should reduce the number of red-light-cycle-skippers as the cameras stationed on cars are turned on cyclists. We live in hope.
5. A row of cyclists takes up less room than a row of cars populated with one person each.
- Nicky, London, 01/09/2010 23:58
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Another example of the government competing with small business. Bike hire businesses now are out of business. The government are too hard to compete against..They now are also cashing in on hire cars for london city, competing with hire car companies using the congestion charge inclusive as an incentive – how can you compete with that. Next they will be opening coffee shops!! And this from a city where the queen has decreed that all bikes are banned from london city parks.
- SEAN, westminster, London, 13/08/2010 15:21
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For the money being talked about here, Boris could have bought a MILLION bicycles. The problem of cycling in London is not availability of bicycles, its the daily death-race against aggressive London drivers and the theft/vandalism of bikes. Make London streets more bike-friendly and people will get them out of their sheds and use them.
- Oliver James, London, 06/08/2010 23:49
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£140 million is a massive £4667 per person or £28,000 per bike.
Doubtless Boris can afford to be generous promoting this political correctness, even if a proportion comes from sponsorship.
However the public might not be so generous towards re-electing him in 2012 when they remember who increased the congestion charge, tube and bus fares to pay for it....
- Jools, London, 06/08/2010 15:36
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quelle horreur!
I've just driven up the Lower Tooting Road, South London.Large areas all painted bright 'Barclay's Bank Blue' and reserved for cyclists.
I thought that various Transport Acts prevented commercial or business advertising on the public highway (Road surface) as a way of avoiding accidents?
This is blatant advertising, nothing less. Whatever the reasons or excuses what is it that gives civil servants, elected members or Borises the right to over-ride or ignore this? How long before Sainsbury's or 'Compare the Meercat' are writing all over our roads or colouring them up to improve the road accident rate. Oh, I almost forget, and charging us for the privilege?
Is everything for sale? Are there NO limits?
I suppose our road surfaces will all be offered to some Arab country, or the Russians as a 'commercial opportunity' No questions asked, at some stage soon.
- Norman Speight, London UK, 06/08/2010 11:23
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Hospitals, Homelessness, Crime. Remember them?
£220 million on bikes?!!
Am I the only person who thinks the world has gone crazy?
Has anyone noticed there are no helmets around?
Are we gonna have to pay AGAIN when all those poor people injure themselves?
Please stop the madness its so depressing.
- Mr Goldberg, London, 06/08/2010 05:00
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Even if the bikes are only use on hot days, they will get people of the tube when the overcrowding is worst. Think of how much nicer the tube will be if 10% of the peak time users where to use these bike instead. (And the bikes cost a lot less then a new tube line)
- Ian, Stockport, 05/08/2010 23:39
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albert hall, hove england, 05/08/2010 15:13
"I go up to Town by train, rather than use my car and use the wonderful black cabs. A tenner return for the day. A car costs me £50, fuel, parking and emissions charges."
I must move to Hove if they're handing out free Black Cab passes.
- mdj, london, uk, 05/08/2010 21:05
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Mr S.Port. I'm afraid you've fallen victim to the age old fallacy that "Road Tax" pays for the upkeep of the roads. It does not and is simply a vehicle excise duty. The upkeep of the roads is financed from general taxation, which we all of course pay, whether we use a vehicle on the road or not!
- Oliver, Barnet, 05/08/2010 20:39
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First of all why are people always comparing us with Copenhagen or Amsterdam, those cities have a population of less than half a million we have 8 million. Second, shouldnt these Boris bikes be subject to a road tax of some sort. They occupy the roads and the pavements.
- Mr S.Port, London, 05/08/2010 20:00
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Boris,seems to be totally unaware that the successful bike systems in Europe occur because the cyclist cycle on the pavements as they are much wider than the ones in London,not in the roads.Could be very interesting if a badly injure cyclist sue's Boris for not advising of the danger!!!!!!!Boris has not done his homework.
- Robert Scales, London, 05/08/2010 19:49
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I honestly can't believe how cynical and negative people are about genuinely positive change. The fact of the matter is that without schemes such as this fantastic one, Britains cities will eventually grind to a halt with our obsession with the car (I'm a driver and cyclist)
I hope Boris floods the capital with bikes and it becomes as natural a way to travel as it is in Amsterdam or Copenhagen.
- Richard, Thaxted, Essex, 05/08/2010 18:00
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Most importantly.
Is there any check on the actual usage of each bike? i.e. just how much a particular item has been on the road with a cyclist on board? Simple business practice isn't it? If items are not in use, they are losing money. To hell with the hype and the 'what-people-ought-to-be-doing or, the 'it's healthier',
As far as I know (open to correction of course) bikes standing in their racks all day don't improve the health of those not riding them.
I look forward to some University research disproving this with interest. Sounds like a job for East Anglia, i.e don't admit that which disagrees with that you are trying to 'prove' as in global warming!
- Norman Speight, London UK, 05/08/2010 17:57
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It will be interesting to see the usage figures of the bikes during the winter months.It will be interesting when the first case comes to court claiming the accident occured because no formal training course was given before I was allowed to use a bike as part of this scheme.
- Mike Melbourne, Bedford, 05/08/2010 17:27
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Far too many cars, we should be closing streets to cars and making them bike only.
- Kay Burley ate my hamster, Hackney, London, 05/08/2010 17:20
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Much better to have your own bike and have a great ride...there are so many unused bikes in London there is no need for hundreds of hire bikes!
- GoingGoingBike, London, 05/08/2010 17:17
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Janet - I think you will find that the availability of bikes will also appeal to tourists who aren't on the street at 9am, and those casual travellers (like myself) who don't need to arrive into the Capital until after the morning peak, and thus there will be a demand.
- Tom Watson, Milton Keynes, 05/08/2010 16:57
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Compare this scheme with another very green way to travel and see London via The London Electric Scooter Company. They will not lend you a bike each day (which could add up to a whopping £18,045 a year via the Barclays Cycle Hire, thanks Barclays) but they will sell you a Zepii V60 electric scooter for £1149 and it is yours forever. No rolling annual bicycle scheme fees, tax-free on the road and at around 1p a mile to use, the running costs per year amount to only £55 (assuming you do 12 miles a day). They also come in a myriad of colours to suit all palettes and do not advertise banks on their bottoms.
However which way you look at it, if you’re going to get on your bike make sure it’s the right one for you. I believe there is a shop called Halfords that does very well, too.
- EasyRider, London, UK, 05/08/2010 16:56
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I demand to know who is going to repair all the punctures!
These bikes only have a few gears, what was BOJO thinking!
The colour scheme is totally uninspiring and ethnically insensitive to people who are not grey!!
The brakes only work when the user presses the lever, is this sufficiently safe? No!
Why do we only get two wheels when cars have four!
The bikes are rubbish for BMX tricks – another massive error by BOJO!
The so-called Boris bikes could potentially destroy the road surfaces leaving them unsafe for everyone else!
I tried to make my dinner whilst riding one of these bikes and the food went everywhere – when is BOJO going to think things through!
Et cetera.
- ST, London,
Good post, ST; a man after my own heart.
Today I noticed four bike parks around my home area, a few minutes from each other; if this becomes nation wide, you could cycle from london to scotland without paying a penny, just ride from dock to dock, then swop over bikes.
The three gears are ok, but an engine on the bike would be better still.
I bank at NatWest, so I can't use a Barclays bike.
- mickinlondon., london, 05/08/2010 16:47
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When is someone going to bring out a "Boris Bikes Spotters Book" ?
Every bike has a unique number and you could underline them like trainspotters do in the '60s. Maybe he should have given them names like the Eddie Stobart trucks.
- Tom Watson, Milton Keynes, 05/08/2010 16:42
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So the 5,000 bikes are only being used on average once a day. That doesn't sound like much of a return for the massive investment so far of £140 million.
After early morning commuter use from a popular starting point such as Waterloo, it sounds as if they are laying around unused most of the day until an evening return to the station.
To now spend a further £81 million on more bikes that are unused all day seems over indulgent with public money.
- Janet, London, UK, 05/08/2010 16:39
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I demand to know who is going to repair all the punctures!
These bikes only have a few gears, what was BOJO thinking!
The colour scheme is totally uninspiring and ethnically insensitive to people who are not grey!!
The brakes only work when the user presses the lever, is this sufficiently safe? No!
Why do we only get two wheels when cars have four!
The bikes are rubbish for BMX tricks – another massive error by BOJO!
The so-called Boris bikes could potentially destroy the road surfaces leaving them unsafe for everyone else!
I tried to make my dinner whilst riding one of these bikes and the food went everywhere – when is BOJO going to think things through!
Et cetera.
- ST, London, 05/08/2010 15:45
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Does anybody fancy submitting a Freedom of Information Request to TfL? All major schemes funded by public money should be supported by a business case to determine whether they produce more benefits than costs. A source within TfL tells me that these haven't been produced for the Boris Bus, removal of Bendy Buses, Phase 1 of the Cycle Hire and Cycle Super Highways because TfL know that if they weren't Boris's manifesto pledges then there is no way they would be worthwhile schemes.
Isn't it about time for Boris to wake up to TfL's current financial situation and stop making foolish decisions? I also think that extending Cycle Hire eastward would be less beneficial than in other directions as the deprived East End will have a lower propensity to cycle (poorer people are more likely to see cycling as below them). I suspect the decision has something to do with Barkleys involvement.
- James, London, 05/08/2010 15:39
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Well done Boris. I have just returned from Brugge where bikes seem to breed all by themselves. Due to a defective knee joint I am unable to take part but good luck to all the people who can. If cyclists put the cars bonnets out of joint so much the better. I go up to Town by train, rather than use my car and use the wonderful black cabs. A tenner return for the day. A car costs me £50, fuel, parking and emissions charges.
- albert hall, hove england, 05/08/2010 15:13
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I'm all for the scheme & glad it seems to be doing well. One thought though... this is summer & people are out & about enjoying the weather. How many bikes are going to be used during the cold winter periods??
- Kris, London, 05/08/2010 14:45
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Any chance of improving the transport system for those of us who don't/can't cycle, and who pay extortionate fares? Or are TfL only going to invest in something the BoJo uses himself?
- SMB, London, UK, 05/08/2010 14:35
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@ Wayne - "Too many bikes" - wrong. There's far too many cars, more than our city can cope with, which is why you get traffic jams.
- Arfur Towcrate, Croydon, actually, 05/08/2010 14:17
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The scheme has taken off beautifully and will ameliorate so many problems for London, air pollution, to name just one. Boris is right to press ahead to extend it, for commuters at mainline raillway stations.
All the cyclists I know have rapturously greeted the scheme and would welcome the further development of such a practical and successful idea. Well done Boris, keep up the brilliant work.....
- angela, london, 05/08/2010 14:08
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Too many bikes!!!!! Watch out!! The bikes!!!!! Too many!!!!
- Wayne, London, 05/08/2010 13:39
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I tried one yesterday. The last time I cycled was probably around 25 years ago! Would like to see them extended to Canary Wharf/Greenwich. Crazy not to include it in the initial launch.
- Paul, London, 05/08/2010 13:26
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Completely agree with Melvyn. What is BOJO thinking introducing new bikes? This is crazy, that's just going to be too many bikes! What will we do with all these bikes?
Come on, BOJO, get your priorities straight!
- Nigel Holdthorpe, London, 05/08/2010 12:49
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That will bring the costs to £221 million, cheap really when you think about it, its much like having a council bike instead of a council house.
I would like to see motor bikes added as well.
And what about wheel-chair users; that would save invalides trying to get on buses and the tube with their own chair, they could just dock and undock wheel-chairs everywhere they need to go.
Not forgetting mothers; we could also have prams and docking stations all over London outside nurseries, shops, and schools.
Once that is done, we could have plastic carrier bag stations; when you need one, just un-dock one, then return it after use, if you do your shopping in half an hour the bag is free etc; this would help the GLA to for-fill compliance with the EC regulations about pollution levels etc.
You see its simple logic really, as nobody needs to own anything, just rent it, after all nobody lives forever, and what you own today, someone else will own later? so all things in life are really just leasehold and not freehold.
They say the more possessions you have; the more you become a slave to them; I think that is very true?
- mickinlondone; like you, I was just assuming?, london, 05/08/2010 12:48
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Good news. I like the scheme but finding a bike around Waterloo in the morning, and then a free docking station in the evening is really frustrating!
- Peter, Richmond, 05/08/2010 12:48
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£220 million pounds! Why not buy 440,000 electric bikes and just give them to commuters, tourist sites and hotels? If people like them, they'll look after them, and there'll be no ongoing infrastructure to pay for, apart from many more simple cycle stands.
- mdj, london, uk, 05/08/2010 12:48
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You would think he would concentrate on getting the ones already on the street working properly before introducing any more!! Buts that BOJO for you
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 05/08/2010 12:23
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