Congratulations Boris, London Assembly, Serco et al. The scheme works a treat.
I had been looking out the window over breakfast in the hope of spotting blue Borikes riding by but didn't see any so ambled around the corner to my nearest dock where there were plenty of bikes ready, popped my key in, the lights twinkled and there I was holding my first Borike!
Despite my concerns a mere 24 hours ago about the readiness of local bike hire stations most of those I visited yesterday are now complete, including Fore Street which has been a mess for weeks. Well done Serco!
The terminals seem to be working too and accurately show the number of bikes available at nearby stations - see photo below (come on TFL and add this to the data you have already released via API).
Bikes are finally starting to appear in numbers, at least in some docking stations. Here is a photo from Devonshire Square at lunch time. About half the docks here have bikes which I guess makes sense as if they were all full then arriving cyclists would have no where to dock.
Last night I noted that only about half the docking points had been installed at Circus Place even though the site looked finished. This morning they are all there and being tested. The tester says he is expecting a busy day!
I saw my first Borike in the flesh beside The Gherkin and a had a good look. It feels very solid and heavy but appears well put together. It has hub brakes and gears, as expected, and neatly integrated lights. It is also festoned with warnings and some handy labels to remind you which is the front and which is the back brake!
I saw two testers docking this bike at each point in the station and I assumed they would then take it away to test more docks elsewhere but it has been left here for a day or two now - still haven't seen any others.
I am a little concerned that many of the docking stations around here (the City) have been half finished for a while now and with only two days until launch several still look like building sites. Surely they need to be ready and tested? I wonder if these will be open for business come Friday?
I have also noticed that work seems to be finished on a number of stations but without the full compliment of docks. Did they run out?
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