London’s public bike scheme

Friday, 30 July 2010

Following in the steps of cities like Paris and Montreal London launched its public bike hire scheme today, 30 July 2010. Mayor Boris Johnson, all round cool guy and apparently a keen cyclist himself, introduced the project as part of a vision for a greener, cleaner, safer London, as the city gears up to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Starting today, Londoners can buy a key for £3 to unlock one of 6000 bikes at one of 400 docking stations around the city. They can then ride to where they need to be, and return the bike again to the nearest docking station. The cost depends on the hire time from £1 for an hour to £50 for 24 hours.

A similar scheme has been very successful in Paris although theft and vandalism of the bicycles have been problematic, with the whole fleet having to be replaced in just two years as a result. Which brings us to the question:

Would a public bike hire scheme work in South Africa?

Many would argue that our national public transport infrastructure is sub-standard as it is and that we can’t afford to introduce new services. It must also be considered that South Africa has a very high incidence of theft, and that many people have to travel far distances to work, in which case cycling is a less feasible option.

However, in urban ares of the country there are a substantial number of people who work or go to school less than 5km from where they live but opt to drive, resulting in too many cars filling the cities during working hours.

People like this are ideal candidates for a small scale public cycling scheme. Sections of secure office parking lots could be reallocated for bicycles, which take up significantly less space than cars. What a great way to stay fit and healthy and reduce the amount of cars on the road!

What do you think – do you see yourself ever cycling to work or school, or is this idea completely unrealistic?

(Photo by Towodo on Flickr)