Amsterdam was pioneering, Oregon tried, Copenhagen has had them for years, Paris got them in the summer 2007 and now London wants them too. We are of course talking about public rental bikes, which currently seem to be the hottest service a city can offer its inhabitants and visitors.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone recently announced a cycling and walking plan for London that will see 6000 public bicycles available at docking stations 300 meters apart in central London. The bicycles will be free for locals and visitors the first half hour of use, with a fee of around $2 for each additional half hour - with prices rising sharply for longer periods. The only not so good thing is: The bikes are not expected to be introduced until …..2010!
Ken Livingston’s modest and very sympathetic goal is to turn London into one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world. The Mayor says that the city will spend something like £500 million over the next decade on cycling - the biggest investment in cycling in London's history.
The investments will among other things include the creation of a series of Bike Zones for shoppers in Inner London and two-wheeler superhighways that will link popular residential areas to the city centre cutting a swath through traffic and congestion. Authorities expect the many bicycling-initiatives will stimulate a 400% increase in the number of people pedalling round the capital by 2025.
Author David Rich Momondo
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