Boris' Bikes

Boris' Bikes
Mayor Boris Johnson calls on Londoners to 'sign up and become pioneer members'
Having just followed the Tour de France, I have been amazed to see all these blue bikes appear throughout Central London - 6,000 bikes to hire from 400 Central London docking stations!

And I read in the Evening Standard (9th August issue) that the Parisians, who revolutionised urban cycling with their Velib, love 'la bicyclette de Boris'!

Driven by curiosity I went to have a look at the TFL website to check how the scheme works and read with interest the long list of Do's and Don'ts after one has successfully got hold of a bike.

Among the Do's are the obvious 'always abide by the Highway Code' and disappointingly right at the end 'consider wearing a cycle helmet' - I would have thought this would be a must cycling in Central London.

Among the Don'ts I was fascinated to see 'cycle the wrong way up one-way streets unless it's clearly marked as a two way route for cyclists' and 'carry passengers on the cycle or animals/bulky items in the basket' - common sense clearly does not always prevail.

And the warning for overseas visitors: remember to cycle on the left!

This long list of useful tips did not mention anything about the users' level of fitness or the fact that the saddle is adjustable and therefore should be checked for height before embarking on any journey.

Looking further into the site I found some information on Cycle Training and Safety, mostly to do with road safety rather than 'body' condition - we may well see a surge in physio treatment as unfit people get on the bikes!

After the first flush of enthusiasm for these fun-looking machines, I would not be surprised to see a renewed interest in cycling. With more people buying their own bikes we may also see an increase in demand for cycle assessments on our Turbo Trainers.
Faye Peck, Physiotherapist at St John and St Elizabeth Hospital, St Johns Wood

http://www.central-health.com/blog/sports/blue-bikes-central-london.html