We were recently interviewed by TimeOut magazine on Ken Livingston’s intention to follow Paris in deploying thousands of free bicycles in the capital. And the recent news that Beijing is doing likewise for the Olympics, will certainly spur our non-cycling mayor in going to bed with Decaux.
We feel that the main beneficiaries will be tourists; a bicycle at every corner is not going to persuade non-cyclists to give it a go.
Let’s say someone has been waiting at a bus stop for 20min, watching hundreds of cyclists passing by. She must be thinking, “Maybe I could do that as well”. And after a few months of watching an ever increasing stream of people riding in front of her, will she give it a try?
We often hire bicycles to people who have commuted that thought to the resolution of riding to work, but want to make sure before spending money on a bike.
However the conversion happens before they come to us and our feeling is that the prime motivator is example by peers, rather than availability of trial bicycles.
The prime mental obstacles to contemplating cycling are 1. feeling of danger; and 2. image of ‘cyclists’; while the latter is decreasing in importance, most people who do not cycle still think it is dangerous. That is where 95% of the authorities attention should be focused on. Everything else is a gimmick.
Image by Scott London
UPDATE: Below is an example (via Ma ville a’ velo) of the kind of ‘local riders’ I am not sure Ken is really targeting.
I have to disagree I’m afraid – a lot of people don’t cycle into work because they live too far away. For a day in town, though, borrowing a bike here and there is perfect, and many people who live out in zone 6 will use them once they’re in zone 1. And also, whether tourists or locals, the ever increasing numbers of cyclists that this will surely cause will of itself make roads safer for cyclists, as drivers are forced to take notice. Safer roads, more people tempted to try cycling. It’s a great idea, and given that the Paris scheme has been provided at no extra cost to the city, one that ought to be implemented as soon as possible.
The best encouragement would be more bike lanes and priority for cyclists – like in Copenhagen!
The video is fantastic! Thanks. Hopefully the Velib bikes get some routine maintenance!
Well, the scheme won’t last for long if the bikes get treated like that.
Anyone know what kind of maintenance regime is applied to these hire bikes? Insurance? One would assume that bikes treated like those in the video would soon suffer from broken frames and other roadworthiness faults. Supposing a user was hurt, or worse, as a result of damage by a previous user? Who is liable? Even as a cyclist I would be reluctant to use such a scheme for just this kind of reason.
The bikes used in Lyon (V’elov, also managed by Decaux) have sensors that relay faults in brakes, lights and gears to the control station). We have read anedoctal evidence that after two years, maintenance levels in Lyon are starting to slip
I have to disagree with Andrea, and agree with Nik. All kinds of people will use the new ‘white bicycles’ as long as:
1. the bikes are free for the first half hour (like in Paris). In Brussels this is not the case and the bikes are rarely used.
2. a huge number are provided, again look to Paris not Brussels.
3. no pre-registration via the internet or in an office must be required. simply swipe a credit card and go.
All kinds of people will use them. Day visitors, London cyclists who happen to be without their bike that day, tourists, non-cycling friends of cyclists… And seeing such a mass of evident ‘newbies’ will do a whole lot to convince waverers that it’s not too difficult or dangerous for them. A big problem with cycling in London is that cyclists (whether commuters or couriers) seem to present themselves as experts or professionals, giving the impression to people who don’t ride that cycling is a difficult thing to do. Cheap and plentiful hire bikes will help a lot.
I have to disagree with Andrea as well.
I was talking to the guys who conducted the research for the Paris Velib system. There were a lot of hypotheses as to who would and wouldn’t use the system from the beginning. But ultimately, the scheme was so easy to use and they had so many bikes available that it encouraged many different people to ride in the city. What’s more, the bicycle business benefited. People would rent a bike and realise how cool it was to get around town, they would then cycle more often and eventually want to buy their own bicycle…
We need to give support to most cycling initiatives and hope that one day the infrastructure will follow suit.