SE23 Forum

Boris Johnson fully supports the cycle scheme he introduced with a flurry or trumpets as Ive just seen him riding a bike near London Bridge, and it was is own bike not one of the Barclays ones that you can use/borrow

Why would someone who owns a bike pay extra to rent a bike and reduce the number of bikes available to people who actually do not own a bike and want to use the rent scheme as it was intended?

Fair point Ghis, yet would it not give the scheme a boost if people saw him riding one

To be fair, he has been seen on one a few times but the main problem at the moment is that there are not enough bikes for the demand at present. I was tempted to join as there is a docking station down the road from my work and I normally walk 20min to Charing Cross but in the morning the Charing Cross docking station is usally empty and in the evening the rack near my work is empty too (too many people having the same idea!) hopefully they will add some more bike docking stations soon.

Depends where he was going. You can only use the bikes between one docking station and another in Central London. Brilliant for short hops around the City and West End - I've seen lots of people using them. But Boris uses his bike to commute, which entails an entirely different pattern of use. It's highly likely that he couldn't use a Boris bike for the particular journey.

In addition the docking station in his own street has recieved so many local residents objections that it did not get intalled.

Looks like he has been cycling around all morning to annouce he is running again for Mayor

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/a...in-2012.do

well it appears to be very popular, so maybe it was a good idea afterall, I prefer to walk, I do know someone who I work with, who gets the tube from Balham, gets off at Elephant and walks along to London Bridge area where we work, that one stop, saves him nearly £16 per week and gives him a bit of exercise

Well cant really see anyone stopping him from winning again

Youre kidding? Do you think people want him back in? Im not sure what he has done for London. Ken was much more vocal and credible when it came to arguing Londons case and I am personally keen to see him back in. It cant be good by anyones standards to have another Tory Mayor when we have a Tory government- Boris won;t dare to challenge Cameron.

ps not a lot of people know this but many employers are members of the cycle scheme which allows people to offset bike purchase against tax hence considerable savings can be made on the cost of a new back; up to 40% apparently.

But that's a good thing isn't it Roz if it encourages people to cycle, even if it is paid for by employers?

Although HRMC have now stuck their oar in about the market value at the end of the scheme with the likelihood that many will have to pay more than they expected at the end of their 12/18 month 'rental' period to keep the bike. Now it's likely that you'll only save 10-15% which you can often negotiate in a bike shop in any case.

It was an excellent scheme though - helped me get my bike (still to make the final payment) and got me cycling to work.

As for the Boris bikes, I have a token to use them but so far have always had my own bike to hand when I've needed to. It's not that unreasonable for Boris to use his own for a commute rather than a hire one. While the hire ones are OK for short distances, they're never going to compare weight, gears, comfort-wise to a decent commuting bike that's been set up for you specifically.

Applepider - the new tax rules will apply to your cycle to work bike if you haven't made your final payment yet. It's not all bad though. You can "extend" your rental period with your employer so that the longer they own the bike, the less you will have to ultimately pay as it depreciates every year. Guess it depends on how long you intend to stay with your current employer!

I've been cycling to work since the beginning of the year (first to Canary Wharf, and now to Blackfriars) and going from the numbers I've seen the scheme appears to be very popular. The BorisBikes look ideal for the short hop (station to office - I think the "basket" on the front is inspired), however, I would not want to undertake any sort of distance on one. So I'm not surprised Boris has stuck with his old stead.

What I would like to see to support the scheme, are "cycle proficiency" classes for adults (not sure if they still do them for kids). Too often cyclist put themselves and other road users at risk by not riding with due care and attention. I'll save a rant about vehicle drivers for another day.

As for the cycle to work scheme it is fantastic (though sadly I believe it may be about to be cut), and enabled me to get a very smart Boardman road bike for effectively 50% it also enabled me to spread the balance over a 12 month period. Whilst I'm hoping the "nominal" purchase price will be just that "nominal" I still would argue if it tipped 10/15% as knew this was a possibility when I took out the scheme and have still saved 100s of pounds.

How can you tell happy a cyclist, flies on his teeth.

Hope the link works - this sets out the way the tax rules now work on the Cycle to Work scheme

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/blog/201...ork-scheme

Brilliant news.

I think it would be a shame if the allowance was cut to £500. I agree that you can but a perfectly good bike for that sort of money, but the allowance of £1000 gives many more cyclists the option to buy the bike they really want (mine was certainly more than £500) thereby extending its use beyond simply commuting.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the allowance also includes the cost of safety equipment and accessories (helmet, lights, pump etc) which can add up.

.. and for the self-employed amongst you, a bike and accessories is still an allowable expense (although you have to purchase the entire bike in one go). It still gives you a saving and for me having a commuter bike (which has now paid for itself in terms of train fares saved) spares my regular bike from the terrible roads of London and means I can go riding in the weekend through the countryside with less fear of a puncture.

I agree Wayfarer - one of the main things that attracted me to the C2W scheme was that I would be able to afford a much nicer bike than I usually could (although my employer actually restricts the amount to £750) - I too got myslef a lovely Boardman road bike that I paid off in May and promply got myself a mountain bike on the scheme so that if we get a winter like last year I'll still be able to cycle.

It also has the added benefit that because these are more expensive bikes than I would normally get, I make the effort to get as much use out of them as I can and am getting fitter in the process.

Since my employer outsourced it to Cyclescheme, I don't think it will be as easy to extend. Suspect I will just have to suck it up although might argue value of some of the accs.

With regards to cycle training, many councils do free or subsidised cycle training for adults if you live or work in their borough. Southwark allows 2 x 2 hour one on one sessions for any level whether you can barely lift a handle off to signal or are competent but nervous of traffic. It certainly improved my confidence and assertiveness on the road. I agree it is scary how many incompetent/irresponsible cyclists you see on the road/pavement that give rest of us a bad name! Not sure what Lewisham offer.