[M II A II R II K]

What London’s Cycle Hire Scheme Got Right (And What it Got Wrong)


Apr 6th, 2011

By Joe Peach

[IMG]http://thisbigcity.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/logoJAN2.gif[/IMG

Read More: http://thisbigcity.net/what-londons-...-it-got-wrong/

London’s cycle hire scheme got some international press recently when Arnold Schwarzenegger – former Governor of California – went for a spin with the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Later tweeting that he ‘loved riding the Boris bikes’, Mr Schwarzenegger has joined the not-so-elite fan club of London’s cycle hire – a scheme so successful its users have cycled 10 million kilometres in six months (that’s the equivalent of 13 trips to the moon and back, for those of you into factoids). For London – a city used to public transport failures – this is a strange position to be in. So what did the city do to turn its cycle hire scheme into such a success?


RIGHT

1. Price

Whilst the pricing system for London’s cycle hire varies depending on usage, used wisely it is the cheapest transport option by a long shot. Annual membership comes in at £45 pounds, and if you only use the bikes for trips of 30 minutes or less, that’s all you’ll pay all year. Compared to around £14 for unlimited daily travel in the city, the motivation is clear.....

2. Starting BIG

Launch day saw nearly 5,000 bicycles and 316 docking stations activated on London’s streets. Since then, numbers have climbed even further, with over 400 functional docking stations throughout London’s Zone 1 – an area of around 45 square kilometres. By launching in such large numbers London has been able to avoid the fate of Melbourne’s cycle hire scheme.....

3. Flexible growth

Soon after the scheme’s launch I said ‘the frequency of docking points in central London needs to be increased, making the scheme more convenient, practical and attractive for short journeys in the city‘. London must be listening, as that is exactly what’s happened. New docking stations have been introduced throughout the city – including an enormous 124-space dock at Waterloo Station – and existing docks have been extended to meet demand....

4. Treating it as an extension of the public transport system

Whilst my suggestions for the scheme’s growth have materialised, one of my initial criticisms was very wrong. The London cycle hire bicycles are not fitted with a lock, meaning the only way to securely leave your bicycle is to drop it off at your nearest docking station. Based on this, I concluded that ‘these bikes are not as useful as they could have been‘, which I now realise is the opposite of the truth.....


WRONG

1. Barclays Cycle Hire

One of Britain’s biggest banks gave London a couple of million pounds, and now every cycle hire bike and cycle superhighway in the city is emblazoned with its name and logo. Whilst the ethical questions alone could be the topic of another post, it simply isn’t a good name. My personal opinions aside, who in London has yet to hear a friend or colleague saying ‘I cycled to work this morning on the Barclays Cycle Hire’? We’re an inventive bunch in this city, and if you give something a stupid name, we will simply collectively rename it.....

2. Forgetting about south London

South London often gets left out of exciting developments, and with the cycle hire scheme that hasn’t changed. Whilst Zone 1 falls mainly north of the river, opportunity for further expansion southwards seems obvious considering its population density and relatively flat terrain.....

3. No Oyster integration

London’s wildly popular electronic ticketing system – called ‘Oyster’ – allows entry to all forms of public transport simply by touching the card against a ‘reader’. All forms except the cycle hire, that is. Had London integrated the Oyster card, a significant barrier to entry would have been removed, allowing the scheme to become even more successful than it already has.....

.....