Thank you Boris…..

(..or ken, can’t remember)

For your bikes. Lovely sunny day and an excuse to nip out on a Boris bike over lunch was just too tempting. Great way to “see” London. And shirt sleeve order all the way….

It was Ken. It’s a little known fact that every time someone says “boris bike” Ken gets a stabbing pain between the shoulder blades. Boris did nice but expensive buses.

We’ve got bikes up in glasgow now, not nearly in enough places though, just in town and the west end. so i’m pretty limited in the amount of 1 way use I’d get from the system.

They are a great idea in general though, but should be expanded city wide, and they should also be free at the point of use.(probably have a CC registered against them mind incase one goes missing, standard £200 charge or something.)

But if you are going to properly promote cycling and a healthy lifestyle, that’s the way to do it. Make it a proper public transport alternative.

if you are going to properly promote cycling and a healthy lifestyle, that’s the way to do it. Make it a proper public transport alternative.

Agreed in full.

They have them in Boston and DC and it’s slowly beginning to have a real impact on the way those cities feel in terms of the number of people on bikes.

A bloody brilliant thing for any big city to have.

As an aside,

free at the point of use

At £2 for 24hrs (if it is still that low!) I’d say it’s almost as good as free!

Ahem

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2014/jun/23/boris-johnson-bikes-ken-livingstone

Easy to manual than my MTB!!!

The £2 is brill value. Decided to get one first thing (to clear hangover) then spur of the moment spin at lunchtime. All for less than a coffee.

At £2 for 24hrs (if it is still that low!) I’d say it’s almost as good as free!

Much more expensive up here.

Pay £60 to join for a year
The it’s free first half hour, .50p per half there after. or £5 a day.

Or just use pay are you go and it’s £1 per half hour or £10 per day.

£2 for 24h I could live with.

Biggest thing though is the limited area in glasgow imo.

£2 for 24hr yes, BUT journeys in that 24hr period are only free if they last 30 mins or less. You can make as many such 30min journeys as you want in the 24hr period but each one can’t exceed 30 mins. Otherwise it’s extra ££££

Still a great system though, well done Boris!

It’s lovely riding without a helmet too!!!

I forget the bit about 5 min gap. Had ridden for about 20mins and so docked one bike and walked to the next stand to pick up another. Obviously walked too fast….so got the “must wait 5 min” warning

£2 for 24hr yes, BUT journeys in that 24hr period are only free if they last 30 mins or less. You can make as many such 30min journeys as you want in the 24hr period but each one can’t exceed 30 mins. Otherwise it’s extra ££££

Still a great system though, well done Boris!

Aye if you pay the £60 per year, you can basically use them for free in half hour blocks up here, so good in that respect. But still limited area, they are just new mind you so hopefully overtime they expand it much further.

Well, it took a while to mature in London, from a subscription only model in a very small area, to the wider, easier to use model we see now. I’m not using them as much when I go to town these days, having a Brompton, but it remains a brilliant system.

They have them in New York too, been very successful there although I think you’re nuts to ride a bike there, never mind the traffic the roads are in terrible condition.

@seos – it’s £90pa in London and as many 30 min spins as you want, £1 for 30-60 mins. As an aside the area maps they put on the bike stands are really helpful for visitors, I see people checking them every day

@tmh they are great for petrol heads too, my record was 7 Ferraris in one ride (mostly parked) and two MacLarens in another. Great way to explore the backstreets. I now pick pubs/restaurants on basis there is a Boris stand nearby.

It’s a little known fact that every time someone says “boris bike” Ken gets a stabbing pain between the shoulder blades.

@muppet …. take this Ken 🙂
Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike
Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike
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Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike
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Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike Boris Bike

Jambalaya – the exploring bit is fun. I went passed “our” pub and explored all the little squares and back roads down towards Chelsea. Very imaginative Halloween decorations in the Royal Borough. The only bad bit was the manic roundabout/triangle between our offices!!!

take this Ken…

Not a fan? 🙂

Boris for PM!

Boris is going to be my local MP, he’ll not get my vote but it’s a safe tory seat so I can’t see anything other outcome.

Nottingham has Boris bikes now, or whatever the mayor here is called bikes. Quite a few end up in our cycle shed at work, people get the bus or train in and then pick up a bike, rather than walk for 5 minutes…

@muppet he did a lot of good stuff especially around fares on public transport, I was just taking a cheap shot !

Boris is very charismatic, have seen him at a few village fete type events in Oxfordshire. He is very smart. I would imagine he’ll increase the Tory majority and thereafter who knows.

No penalties for long usage times then ?

Boris is very charismatic, have seen him at a few village fete type events in Oxfordshire. He is very smart. I would imagine he’ll increase the Tory majority and thereafter who knows.

I agree that he is both smart and charismatic, I like my politicians smart but a bit boring which is probably why I took an instant dislike to him, he strikes me as being more interested in what this country can do for Boris rather than what Boris can do for this country.

The Thames Estuary Airport is one of the few things I’d support him on is also probably the only contentious point about his election in a borough that depends on Heathrow for much of it’s employment.

Jef Wachowchow – Member

Ahem

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2014/jun/23/boris-johnson-bikes-ken-livingstone

Well Andrew Gilligan would say that wouldn’t he ? …… after all the Evening Standard paid him large amounts of money to demonise Ken Livingston.

He is however talking bollox, of course.

Ken Livinstone first proposed “Boris Bikes” back in 2001 :

http://cyclerdelic.blogspot.co.uk/2007_11_01_archive.html

And then in 2007 Cycling Weekly reported :

MAYOR of London Ken Livingstone aims to introduce the Parisian bike hire scheme to the capital.

Boris Johnson became mayor the following year.

Still we can give Boris Johnson credit for bringing the Olympic Games to London, can’t we ?

Well actually we can’t, as the decision had nothing to do with him. But he enjoyed taking the credit for the Olympic Games, and to be fair in over 6 years of being Mayor of London Johnson hasn’t managed to have one single good idea, so it would be an act of simple kindness to let him take credit for something. Even if it was someone else’s idea.

so it would be an act of simple kindness to let him take credit for something.

The only thing he can do, as he has done **** all else.