Dublin's cycle hire scheme has been a big success. During its first year, each of its bikes made an average of more than 2,200 journeys, compared to London's cycle hire scheme which recorded an average of 1,000 journeys per bike in its first year. London's figures are no shame, but why the difference, asks a recent Guardian blog? The lower annual fee for Dublin's scheme? Or, as Jason Frehill of Dublin city council suggests, "the fact that the public in Dublin embraced the scheme and are now its guardians, the time taken to find the best location of each station, and the quality of the service delivered by JC Decaux"?
I'm not convinced by any of these explanations. The fee in the capital (£45) is, although higher than Dublin's (10 euros), peanuts by the standards of millions of Londoners. As for the service provision in London, there's nothing apparently wrong there. Likewise, finding a docking station is unproblematic - either by using one of the online location maps or just asking a passerby. What about Dubliners 'embracing' cycle hire more than Londoners? Well, that's not an explanation; it repeats the very fact that needs explaining.
Here's my (simple) theory: people find it easier to navigate around the streets by bike in Dublin, because it's not as big as London. Compared to Dublin, there are probably just too many occasions in London when you've got no choice but to get a bus or catch the Tube - because you just don't know how to navigate on your own: in effect, the public transport network navigates on your behalf. Therefore (you know what's coming)... what London needs is a cycle network that makes it as easy to navigate by bike as it is to use public transport. Hmmm. Someone should come up with a Tube-style London Cycle Map...
Comments
Or perhaps the public
Or perhaps the public transport is better in London? Or the distances to travel are less in Dublin (so easy and quicker by bike)?
Hey Jimmy,
Hey Jimmy,
I'm sure there's truth in both of those explanations, especially the latter.