As a keen and regular cyclist, the recent launch of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme has caught my attention. Cycle docking stations have been popping up all over the Capital for the last few weeks, seemingly with minimum fuss and minimum disruption (an achievement for TFL alone)! Launch day came and went last week, with numerous journalists, MPs and Olympians offering their verdict on the scheme – from the quality of the bikes (apparently very heavy at 23kg each), the ease and simplicity to register, to the number of docking stations scattered around town – upwards of 8,000 docking points at around 330 docking stations are currently operational.
The launch made a splash with Lord Mayor Boris, King of London Cycling out in force (without a helmet) singing the praises of the initiative, which I have to agree is a fantastic concept and long overdue.
Cycling is a fantastic way to get around, especially in London. OK, so there are still too many cars on the seemingly very narrow roads, but as long as you keep your wits about you, don’t jump traffic lights and follow the rules your Cycling Proficiency instructor drilled into you all those years ago, you’ll be fine.
Schemes such as this one and also the Government’s Bike to Work Scheme, which has recently provided me with a spinky spanky new bike for half the retail cost, have made cycling more accessible to the masses. Not only is it fantastic for the environment, but it also keeps us moving, which is all the more beneficial given that we are said to be the fattest nation in Europe – something we should definitely not be proud of.
Over the last four days whilst out and about, I have seen an increasingly large number of people on these new Barclays bikes, which are hard to miss with the excessive Barclays branding splashed all over them. Apparently 12,000 people have signed up to the scheme with 6,000 keys having been activated, from tourists taking a leisurely peddle through a park to businessmen nipping from A to B in their suits. The first half an hour’s hire is free, followed by incremental charges thereafter, so it’s a great way to get to a meeting or make your journey into work that little bit quicker (and better for you). Reports so far confirmed that the most popular docking station so far is the one located outside the Blue Fin building on Southwark Street, on the South Bank.
However, I do have concerns. The lack of helmets is evident and in some cases lack of bike experience is verging on the dangerous. I know helmets are not a good look – and this coming from someone who has a constant battle with ‘helmet hair’ – however, I not only watched (but nearly got taken out) by a couple over the weekend, who were wobbling around at a junction, turned right without indicating and almost wiped out half a dozen of us as we crossed (the green man was on our side) and to top it all off (excuse the pun) were helmet-less. It begs the question of the potential fallout when the first injury or even, I hate to say it, the first death is caused on one of these bikes – one can only hope that Barclays and TFL have an effective crisis comms plan at the ready.
So, despite having my shiny new bike, I have joined the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme. Registration was quick and easy, although not quite as instantaneous as I had hoped (it takes four days to receive your ‘bike key’ in the post) – so, not great if you were hoping to get started tomorrow. I am hoping to be able to test it out soon and maybe even try out a Barclays Cycle Superhighway or two, but from what I have heard I will need to do a bit more training as getting started and up to speed is not easy!
The verdict is out and I will report back…
By Emily Waring on August 3rd, 2010
Tags: Cycling, Environment, London 2012, PR, Sponsorship
Find us on Google maps