Boris's Barclays Bikes

Today saw the launch of the London cycle hire scheme. The idea is that you can use any bike free of charge for up to 30 minutes, and then for a few quid per hour after that.

Naturally, you need to register beforehand so you can get a key (and give them your credit card info in case you don't return the bike: £300 thanks!) so I'm not sure if this will appeal to tourists, who of course won't be at their address to receive their key if they don't arrange it beforehand.

As for Londoners: well, I have my own bike, so I don't really need to hire one. Add to this the fact that there is no lock on the bike, so you can't secure it during the hire - you need to hunt around for a docking station to secure it, return it, then come back and hope there is still one available - and it loses the convenience argument for me.

Still, they seem quite popular today so far. I wonder will the novelty wear off?

Oh and spare a thought for Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London, who pointed out ruefully today that it was "his idea". Perhaps; but it doesn't stop people calling them "Boris Bikes" since he is a keen cyclist and regularly photographed on his own two wheels.