Monday 8 November 2010

Barclays Bike's - 'hazardous or hazardless'?

I'm very much a fan of the 'New Barclays Bikes'.

Saying that, I'm yet to work out if they are 'hazardous or hazardless'.

I mean the driver's in London are vicious enough - but now more bikes in the way. . ..

Ms Mad Max driving around on her phone and you so happens to be the one she nearly knocks over as she was enjoying her conversation. Now she is going to be extra upset! The London Taxi Driver; now
they have more people using the bus lanes they love - could it be a recipe for disaster?

Most would think if you are going to add so many new bikes to the traffic system, that some thought and expense would have been put aside for bike lanes. Saying that I have noticed a few new blue lanes once I've gone south of the river. Still with no barriers separating the general traffic lanes from the bikes, you have no protection from the angry driver.

The bright side I guess is that we had a good summer so there has been a lot of usage. I can't quite figure out what is going to happen once the winter kicks in. Do all or some of the bikes get stored away? If not - what happens if you crash or injure yourself in the snow? Is there a special insurance included in the bike hire premium?

Conclusion: As much as I like the scheme personally, I think I'll reserve judgement until summer is here once more. For now, I'll stick to my current transport. I do think that so little of us in the UK invest in our fitness, so this can be an additional option. Rather than joining the gym in the summer, we can now enjoy a nice bike ride home - or can we?