Cycle hire scheme continues to grow: Have 10 tips to grab a bike in London
By Laura Maia
London's cycle hire scheme has registered more than 65 million journeys since it was launched in 2010. Santander Cycle, the official name of those grey/red bikes that you see around the city, is Europe’s second largest bike hire system - behind the famous Parisian "Velib". In total, there are 11,500 bikes over 750 docking stations across London. The bikes can be hired from £2 a day for an unlimited number of 30 minute trips.
A record 10.3 million journeys were made in 2016 (see the chart below) and the scheme has become more popular, since Londoners are becoming more open to the idea of cycling. According to Transport for London (TFL), the numbers of journeys cycled each day in the city has doubled in the last 10 years (670,000 each day).
There is a huge potential that was not explored yet. A report published by TFL this year showed that Londoners make 8.17 million daily trips by motorised modes (car, motorcycle, taxi or public transport) that could be cycled.
In 2015 there were 387 serious cyclist injuries in London, of which nine were fatalities
London in Numbers had tested out the Santander Cycle scheme for one month and here are our top tips:
1.You do not need a subscription, find a dock station near to you, bring your credit card and follow the steps showed in the screen.
2.Check the tyres and brakes before hiring a bike. You will have to wait 5 minutes to hire another one if you are not satisfied with the one you had chosen before.
3.After typing in the printed five-digit code, pull the bike out when the green light appears. It is easier if you grab it by the saddle and put the bike up and down.
4.Do not ride through red traffic lights. Not only is dangerous, but also you may be fined £50.
5.Use your arms to indicate that you are turning left or right.
6.At some traffic lights, you will see a green space for bikes in front of the cars. Use it! It will give you time to start to cycle and (if that is the case) turn before the cars could overtake you.
7.Pay attention to parked cars because the doors can suddenly open!
8.Consider wearing a helmet.
9.Do not use your phone! If you want to check your GPS or to answer calls, get off the bike and do it on the pavement.
10.There are cycling training for adults and children in most London boroughs (some of them are free!). Check out more about it here.
Share your own tips with us!
