On 19 Dec, 00:59, "Paul Murphy"
wrote:
I was interviewed at Victoria Railway Station today for market research
about plans to provide bicycles for hire around the capital. Supposedly for
TfL (although the interviewer was wearing a Network Rail pass - the
organisation who manage this station), the questions were quite wide ranging
and even included one to gauge the popularity of providing power assisted
bikes to supplement (or was it instead of....) more ordinary rental bikes.
The picture shown looked a bit like the bikes being used in the Parisian
scheme.

My selfish concern was that when I do travel into London by train, I usually
rely on the Metrolink or busses because they're included in the cost of my
travelcard (which isn't much more expensive than a London return ticket). I
cant help thinking that perhaps such a scheme might be better suited to a
built up area where there aren't already so many public transport options
available.....

Paul

I can't see it working for the majority of Londoners, where exactly
are they going to put these bikes? At Waterloo there isn't enough room
for people's own bikes, so they reduced the space during building
works. Also, nice, everyone turns up at a mainline station .. i'd be
guessing they'd all be gone pretty sharpish. The majority og commuters
are coming into London.

Where it could work, would be in touristy areas. A bike park in Hyde
Park, another in Green Park etc etc. However, not many tourists will
have the balls to get onto London's roads as is. I know quite a few
people who refuse to navigate London's roads on bike, and some don't
seem like the scaredycat type.

Anyway, I think it's a lovely dream, just not really going to become a
useful addition to sustainable transport in reality. Now, give me a
bigger discount on my Brompton and now you're talking ...

(80% sure I won't have my bikescheme through by Christmas )