Councillors want negotiations on expansion
A call is being made for the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme - popularly known as 'Boris Bikes' - to be extended to Merton.
In 2013, London's Mayor plans to expand the popular scheme to parts of Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth, and Kensington & Chelsea - and local Liberal Democrats want Merton to open negotiations on being part of that expansion.
In submitting the motion for Merton's full council on Wednesday (September 12), Lib Dem councillor Mary-Jane Jeanes said: "Cycling is good for us all. As cyclists we benefit from the exercise; and everyone benefits from lower pollution levels if we have fewer cars on our streets. Expanding the bike hire scheme to Merton will encourage more people to try cycling.
"The expansion is also the perfect opportunity to make the Cycle Hire Scheme better - there's growing evidence that the scheme's full potential is not being reached - for example, only 23% of members are women, and the membership system can be confusing for first time users.
"Merton Council can play its part in making the scheme better for everyone by using negotiations on expansion to deal with the issues - and part of this will be thinking about what Merton can do, for example, on improving road safety".
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September 11, 2012