With a little over a month to go before its launch, London’s mass bicycle hire scheme has been christened Barclays Cycle Hire and given its first docking stations in Southwark Street.
By the time the scheme is complete, six thousand hire bikes will be housed across 400 docking stations in central London.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Barclays Cycle Hire is a fantastic addition to the city, and while the name itself is a little dry, the bank has ploughed an estimated £25m into the project so it was unlikely to be anything different.”
Can you think of a catchy nickname as an alternative to Barclays Cycle Hire?
If so, please send your suggestions to Yannick Read
We ride the Barclays Cycle Hire bike
The Barclays Bikes will be ridden off and into kerbs, dropped, scraped and generally made to work hard for a living, but a test ride suggests the bikes are up to the job.
Whilst not the lightest of machines, the bikes feel sure-footed on the road – a quality that will reassure novice riders. The gears are easy to operate and the bike’s lights are on permanently. Verdict: Well-designed, easy to ride and tough
The history of mass cycle hire schemes
| A history of cycle hire schemes | …the highs and the lows |
|---|---|
| The “White Bikes” project | in the 1960s free bikes were offered in Amsterdam, many of which ended their life in the canals |
| Copenhagen | a not-for profit foundation has operated a free-to-use bike hire scheme seasonally since 1995 |
| Bikeabout | Started in 1996 at Portsmouth university, this was the first electronically managed cycle hire scheme |
| Velib | The Paris scheme is popular but has suffered its own share of problem, including ‘Velib extreme’ – stunt riding that takes its toll on the bicycles |
| Watch a film of ‘Velib extreme’ riding |
- Booby trap bike may beat thieves but is illegal
- Bicycle riding is harder than it looks according to scientists
Cycle insurance
Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old, cover for accidental damage, £1m third party insurance, personal accident cover and if you breakdown, we will even come out and recover you and your bike. Get an instant online quote below.
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