London - Barclays Bike Hire dockign stations

BigJimmyB wrote:

Hi there,

I've seen that membership opens for the scheme today, but there are no maps of the docks available (online) until next Fri - so I don't know if I should be a member as I might not be able to take advantage.....

I'd like to use a bike daily to ride from Fenchurch Street to Moorgate. I know there is a dock on London Wall, but does anyone know if one exists near Fenchsurch Street.

There IS a map at the London Wall dock, but it covers about a 1/4 mile raduis - rubbish!

There's one in Finsbury Square, too. Not sure about the Fenchurch St end, sorry

There is a map on the TfL site that outlines the area covered by the bike scheme. My understanding is that the aim was that a person in the area should be no more than 150m from a bike station (where I get 150m, I don't know, but it seems familiar).

They should have bike stations close to PT hubs, so I would expect Fenchurch St to have one in or near it...

... but I couldn't help you with exactly where it is.

sounds like a few teething problems....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mindthegap/2 ... r_for.html

Here's a map:

http://bbarker.co.uk/cycleHire/

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I've seen a couple of people riding around on the bikes already. I don't think there is any danger of speed records being set on them.

Good idea though. Lets see how it goes in practice.

I've been on one, got it up to 18mph in my suit, i reckon if i swap the pedals out for SL's and i wear my cycling gear.. i could get it up to 25 on the flat.

just managed to look at topspin's map & it looks like St Pancras to Vauxhall is doable , although only two stations near St Pancras which is slightly odd for one of the busiest train stations

anyone recommend a route (Waterloo will do as an alternative)?

I've signed up to get my key card thingy.. might use them occasionally..

but an app for your phone detailing lock up points might be a good idea?

Did a little google to see it there was a public api and found this...
http://madebymany.co.uk/london-cycle-hi ... app-004029

Edit: see first comment

and this
http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/features ... e-android/

Actually, having just been onto the android market there are several apps, one of which maintains it can tell you how many bikes are on each stand, as well as timing your ride etc etc.

I wondered how soon that was going to happen

I have been looking at this but i think it is too expensive.
£45 then free for 30 mins longer than that then the price ramps up pretty fast (don't know if you can just hop from dock to dock in sub 30 minute sections for a longer journey)

or £1 a day min charge for ad hoc usage.

There are fines of £150 - £300 for damage and losing the bike or not returning one. Not sure how being pushed off your bike and it being cycled off is handled. As there is no way you can prove you locked the bike correctly it seems to me the cost of being fined wrongly is too high for me to want to risk.

I guess I am not the normal user as generally I have a bike with me, the times I would want to use one is to get to a pub after work further than my usual one. I cannot see a weekend or other use for me.

I do hope I am wrong but the costs and hassles of getting a keyring thing and remembering to have it on you probably rules it out for me. I assumed it would be an extension of the oyster system.

Aidanw wrote:

I have been looking at this but i think it is too expensive.
£45 then free for 30 mins longer than that then the price ramps up pretty fast (don't know if you can just hop from dock to dock in sub 30 minute sections for a longer journey)

Yes, you can make any number of sub-30 minute journeys in a 24-hr period for a pound. It's designed in the same way as the Paris Velib system so that the bikes are kept in circulation and it works very well for them (I have used the Velib). They have 20,000 bikes, versus our 6,000 though. You should be able to ride across the whole area in less than 30 minutes - if not, head to the nearest station, dock your bike and take another as the time period approaches 30 mins.

Aidanw wrote:

I do hope I am wrong but the costs and hassles of getting a keyring thing and remembering to have it on you probably rules it out for me. I assumed it would be an extension of the oyster system.

£2 per fob, apply online and you keep it on your keyring. Can't see how it's a hassle and you don't need to pay for a whole year's access to get a fob - you can use them for 24-hr or weekly periods as well.

prj45 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I was watching a vid thing by Jenny Jones the London Assembly woman who focuses on cycling issues and she was saying that when the Velib scheme in Paris opened there were 10,000 bikes and now there are 24,000! London is starting with 6,000 and London is way bigger and there are a lot more people in London than Paris. Hopefully there'll be enough to go round...

Also note she said that the original plan was to have no bike docking stations anywhere near a railway station.

They should be IN them.

Yes it would seem logical to at least have them within visible distance from the main entrance to mainline stations. Tourists and visitors to London are unlikely to bother seeking them out on back streets unless they're really set on getting a bike.