Has anyone used those barclays hire bikeys in London yet?

[stingman123]

Peddle power or electric?

[sasguru]

IMHO its safer to use a motorbike in London than a pushbike.
You can keep up with traffic and be in the centre of the traffic flow where wveryone can see you rather than on the side where people sometimes don't.

[TimberWolf]

IMHO its safer to use a motorbike in London than a pushbike.
You can keep up with traffic and be in the centre of the traffic flow where wveryone can see you rather than on the side where people sometimes don't.

I've wondered the same thing, for one thing the slower you go, the more traffic that will pass you on a given journey. But last time I looked I couldn't find any decent accident statistics for bicyclists. I do see regular reports of serious injury and death of cyclists in the local rag though.

[Moscow Mule]

IMHO its safer to use a motorbike in London than a pushbike.
You can keep up with traffic and be in the centre of the traffic flow where wveryone can see you rather than on the side where people sometimes don't.

i can keep up with traffic most of the time on a pushbike!

[sasguru]

i can keep up with traffic most of the time on a pushbike!

Try that on the North-Circ!

[TimberWolf]

Cycle Hire Bikes Installed This Evening - Londonist

One day to go and Boris Johnson admits bike hire problems | News

The scheme doesn't look too bad on second look, if you use it regularly and not for more than 30 minutes at a time. And a few other ifs.

[thunderlizard]

Seen quite a few in use around the West End this weekend, and the tourists are taking lots of photos of them. It would be nice if it gets as iconic as the red bus.

[OwlHoot]

I think its an 'up to £300 fine for any repair damages incurred'. What happens if you hire it, return it as found and some chav decides to smash it to peices with you being the last one that used it ???

WHA

Also, if a London resident needs to hire a bike the chances are they don't own their own (although perhaps most would, given that they even contemplate the idea of hiring one). If not, that means they aren't used to cycling in heavy traffic, which in turn means they are more likely to have a prang. So I can see the bicycle accident/injury rate rising markedly if this scheme takes off.

Oh and also, do these bikes come with a helmet? Isn't that a legal requirement for cyclists these days? How do they account for peoples' different head sizes? And what if the last user had head lice or some ghastly infectious scalp disorder?

Now if they made room for rows of smart cars for self-drive hire, or electric cars, that might be more practical. In a few years the hirer will be able to ditch the cars anywhere and leave them to drive themselves back to the docking station.

[mudskipper]

WHA

Oh and also, do these bikes come with a helmet? Isn't that a legal requirement for cyclists these days?

Nope, cyclists don't have to wear helmets. Highway code suggests it, but it's not law.

[TimberWolf]

It would be interesting to find out how successful it's been in Paris and Montreal and who uses the bikes. A regular commuter would presumably find it more convenient to own their own bike - overcapacity would be needed in the scheme to cater for people who rely on a bike being available without an excessive wait. I'd be tempted to use one if I went to London or Paris for touristy communing reasons though.