I like the idea of this – especially for lunch breaks etc. Just wondering whether the fact that you dont own the bike encourages you use it more often.
I say this because i remember back when i did have a bike, i was always terffified of it being stolen and didnt ride it that often. Right up until it actually was nicked
The BB’s are the only bikes I use. Like you, I’d used my own bike previously. But I was always worried it would be stolen. So when the BB scheme began, I donated it to a charity and have not regretted that decision!
In my case – definitely yes! After not having cycled regularly since I was a teenager I tried out a Boris bike just for fun one sunny Sunday in The City (Finsbury Square and surrounding backstreets) when there was no traffic around and thoroughly enjoyed it. I joined the scheme on an annual basis, and two weeks later I bought a bike of my own. I now use Boris bikes for nipping around Zone 1 and my own bike for all-day excursions at the weekend. The advent of Boris bikes, seeing cyclists everywhere, the free maps provided by TFL, and the book ‘The London Cycling Guide’ have shown me that London really has become a cycling-friendly city. I bought an old second-hand, but professionally reconditioned bike from Bike Works, and good locks in the hope that thieves would not think it worth breaking such tough locks for such an unfashionable bike, and so far it seems to have worked. So Boris has converted me to cycling – but whether I’ll still feel so enthusiastic in winter remains to be seen.
Absolutely. I’ve been cycling 2-3 times a day for nearly a year and its my main method of transport but before the scheme I hadn’t owned or ridden on a bike since I was about 15 (am now a teensy bit older than that )