Buy a bicycle or hire a Boris bike?

Sorry – I live in London and would not ride any form of bicycle in local London traffic. In rural areas of Essex I happily use my old bicycle,

The scheme sounds OK if everything goes well, but what if it doesn’t? The instructions say, when you return the bike, dock it and wait for the green light. What do you do if the light fails? What about if the bike is stolen? The T&Cs say you will be charged £300. At least if it’s your own bike, you can insure it. But these hired bikes are not insured, so if I hired one I would be very nervous in case it gets stolen.

Believe there’s a recurring annual charge of £49 for which
sum often less, one is able to buy a fairly-decent used bike
and own outright, at car boot sale, local ads OR an auction.

Bicycle maintenance is a piece of cake once you know how
and that can easily be acquired, and using a good-quality U-lock
or suchlike bicycle theft is entirely preventable.

Regular all-weather OR serious cyclists almost w/out exception own
their own bikes whether for commuting, utility or recreational
purposes. Ask Boris himself.

Wd not ride that heavy, bulky and slow contraption called
the Boris that’s for occasional and short-journey use when
in/around Central London and extended area, nothing more.

A lighter bike is so much faster and a greater pleasure to use
and, of course, also ideal for touring purposes, whether long-distance
or otherwise.

I cannot understand why this is successful since the charges are steep (e.g. £6 for up to 2 hours) unless you return the bike within 30 minutes. It’s like some sort of a game.

I have cycled in various European cities as well as South America, I also cycle where I live now in Dorset, and then I experienced cycling in London with a Boris bike. I tell you people if you think that cycling in London is dangerous you all need to cycle in Rome or Caracas and then re-asses your sense of danger. Cycling in London is relatively safe if you have your wits about you and it is no more dangerous than cycling in Dorset. I have near misses now where I live in not so cosmopolitan Dorset where drivers are less used to sharing crowded spaces (or roads).

I do have my own ‘vintage’ bike but, since the launch of the Boris bikes in my area, Hackney, I have abandoned my beloved one. I think the scheme is just great. I spend 1 pound per day to get to most places as journeys in London, on a bike, won’t take longer than 30 minutes. No need to worry about finding a safe place to park without being haunted by getting your bike stolen, no need to worry about maintenance whilst enjoying some rather delightful journeys – hassle free – along regents canal, and many other cycling routes. The only bad think about the scheme is not to find an empty dock in certain areas such as in the City by 8.45am or on my way back home, in a more residential area, after 6.30pm. Otherwise, just perfect.