Ken to voters: On yer bike

Details of London's most ambitious cycling plan ever have been unveiled by London mayor Ken Livingstone.

Cycling lanes are already a ubiquitous sight in many of the capital's congested roads but under the new scheme boroughs in Central London will actually be providing the green vehicles free of charge to passers-by.

The bike hire project will see some 6,000 bicycles being available every 300 metres, extending the environmental and physical benefits of cycling to all London residents and bringing cycling routes under the wing of the capital's public transport network.

Mr Livingstone said that the new drive aimed to give cyclists and pedestrians a higher priority on the capital's streets and that the investment in free bikes would be accompanied by a new network of cycling routes.

"The aim of this programme is nothing short of a cycling and walking transformation in London," he said. "We will spend something like £500 million over the next decade on cycling - the biggest investment in cycling in London's history."

The capital's proposed bike hire scheme is based on a similar project in Paris which launched last year.

Published 12th February, 2008

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