Boris hire bikes in the wrong places?

[LOGAN 5]

I may be wrong but surely the most obvious place to put these bikes is outside main line railways stations and tube stations? It seems they are located in random streets away from stations and major tourist attractions, why?

As far as cyclists are concerned it's very much door to door (example of my local railway station's empty racks 100 yards from the concourse) so I can't see for example exiting a station to walk (maybe) several hundred yards to (maybe) find a bike and then (maybe) find an available docking station at your destination which is (maybe) several hundred yards from where you wanted to go.

I think the idea is great but why "hide" these docking stations in side streets where you will need a map to find where they are?

I cycle in London all the time but only by chance came across the two in Hyde Park, one near Marble Arch (but not right on top of the station) and one by the car park (?) by the Serpentine.

I may sign up to the annual fee but I'll wait first to see how these obscure and hidden docking stations fit in to my journey plans.

I also had a quick look at the bikes. One silly space with elastic straps at the front for luggage. Not really effective way to hold a bag/holdall. Why not put rear racks/baskets etc.

Anybody thought similar?

 

[jujubi]

My thoughts exactly when I checked out the map of docking stations. I'm on the train line that goes to London Bridge. The nearest Boris bike seems to be a 10 minute walk away from London Bridge. By that time I'd already be halfway where I want to go on the tube.

 

[marinyork]

It was always said they didn't want them near termini or tube stations for fear of races to the bikes by trains full of commuters. That said I was quite pleasantly surprised to see how close to Euston and Kings Cross the docking stations are on the map. I thing people are grumbling needlessly. I think there's way, way too much negativity out there.

You do have a legitimate point about London Bridge tube station, there is a bit of a lack of a docking station to the east of it (not west). I don't agree with your other points though. Perhaps there were some disputes about where to put them, I know councils can be incredibly arsy about normal cycle parking and pull similar tricks.

 

[gaz]

It is a bit silly. If I take the train I go to Victoria. 3 docking points in the area. But none are right next to it.

 

[zimzum42]

There is no way you can have the racks right outside most of London's stations, there isn't enough room. You grumble about Marble Arch station, but where on earth do you suggest they put it? You can't have them on the Oxford St. pavement, there's not enough space.

Most of the station areas are incredibly busy, sticking a massive row of bikes in would have all kinds of implications

Anyway, as Marinyork says, there's so much stupid negativity about this. It' a good thing, don't moan about little things - and anyway, it's not designed for YOU, is it...

You can't expect a docking station right outside your station and your office...

 

[jujubi]

Expecting a docking station outside London Bridge doesn't strike me as quite as ridiculously self-centred as expecting one right outside my office... (And, rather randomly, there IS one right outside my office. Which is great. And I certainly don't want to spread negativity.)

I wasn't aware that the lack of docking stations outside termini was on purpose and in order to avoid mass panic... But how are the bikes supposed to relief the mass panic of South Eastern commuters running for the Northern Line, if you have to walk halfway to Borough to get one...?

And then there are the termini that DO seem well-equipped with bikes, panic or not. Not bitching and moaning, honestly, just marveling at the apparent randomness of it all...

 

[CopperBrompton]

I think there simply isn't room for them directly outside most stations, and all the examples I've seen so far are really close - as in about the time it would take you to walk down the stairs into the tube station, through the barriers, down the escalator and onto the platform.

 

[neslon]

they all seem a long way from here

 

[CopperBrompton]

they all seem a long way from here

Where is 'here'? They are only central London so far.

 

[marinyork]

I wasn't aware that the lack of docking stations outside termini was on purpose and in order to avoid mass panic... But how are the bikes supposed to relief the mass panic of South Eastern commuters running for the Northern Line, if you have to walk halfway to Borough to get one...?

And then there are the termini that DO seem well-equipped with bikes, panic or not. Not bitching and moaning, honestly, just marveling at the apparent randomness of it all...

It's not going to stop mass panic but planners always concentrate on bicycles not causing what risk x rather than if anything else causes risk x also. You see this very commonly with cycle parking where planners fret over sheffield stands (let alone large docking stations with bikes attached). That's just the way it is. Maybe in the future they'll add a few more locations in zone 1, who knows.

I see where you're coming from now with this 'borough'. There just isn't enough resolution to really get two docking stations convenient for adjacent tube stops between any two tube stops you could pick in every single case that is an absurd restraint, the one you picked isn't the only one, although it is unusual, just an unlucky one.

 

[Lizban]

My thoughts exactly when I checked out the map of docking stations. I'm on the train line that goes to London Bridge. The nearest Boris bike seems to be a 10 minute walk away from London Bridge. By that time I'd already be halfway where I want to go on the tube.

There is one by Borough Market a 5 min max walk from London Bridge (and you can stop and get a Monmouth Coffee each morning........)

 

[Origamist]

I understand that TFL thought demand would be too high at some mainline stations (London Bridge included) and opted for hubs a few mins away. This is less than an ideal situation.

 

[annedonnelly]

Where is 'here'? They are only central London so far.

IIRC neslon is in sunny Newcastle. Where there will soon be WhipBikes available for students at the university. And if popular they plan to make them available to the general public.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If I take the tube in town I have to walk several hundred yards from railway platform to tube platform, ride in a hot sticky noisy train, and then walk several hundred yards from the tube platform to my destination.

Given the Boris Bikes aren't intended to be cycle rickshaw collectiing you as you alight from your train and depositing you at the door of your destination, I can't see what the problem is with the docking stations being 100's of yards from railway terminii. Surely as a cyclist one is fit enough to walk some distance?

Looking at the map the some of the docking stations near Victoria are just where they need to be imo

 

[BentMikey]

I understand that TFL thought demand would be too high at some mainline stations (London Bridge included) and opted for hubs a few mins away. This is less than an ideal situation.

How to hobble your own cycle hire scheme and guarantee it's less effective than it could be...