Capital bike scheme ‘feasible’, says study

19 November 2008

A cycle hire scheme which could see 6,000 bikes made available in London by May 2010 is achievable, according to a feasibility study released by Transport for London this week.

The scheme aims to make bikes available through 400 drop-off points across the nine boroughs and several Royal Parks which make up London’s central ‘zone one’ travel area.

However, the boroughs involved have yet to agree to the plan – something that the report states is ‘essential for implementation’.

A spokeswoman for TfL said that while not all boroughs ‘had fully signed up, to date’, there was a ‘huge amount of political goodwill and excitement about it’. But the boroughs still need to talk to their stakeholders and residents.

The scheme aims to generate an extra 40,000 cycle trips a day in central London and will be key to achieving a 400% increase in cycle journeys in London by 2025.

The study found there is a ‘significant market’ for the scheme among rail commuters, and to reach potential cyclists, bike-hire stations should also be located near major train stations.

Authorities need to address safety concerns of cyclists travelling in the city, navigating through central London, the study recommends.

The study also calls for cycle training, the conversion of one-way streets into two-way routes for cyclists and 20mph zones, as well as alterations to road layouts.

The cycle hire scheme will be available in the boroughs of Camden, Hackney, Lambeth, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, and City of London.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘I believe that the work we are carrying out can make the capital a city of cyclists, where to use two wheels is common, not curious.’

TfL is calling for companies to come up with ideas to deliver the cycle hire scheme.

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