London to adopt bicycle sharing program in spring
By May 2010, Londoners will be using contactless smart cards to access a new public bicycle sharing program, according to squidcard.com. The project will include 431 bicycle docking stations installed in nine of London’s boroughs and parks.
Mayor Boris Johnson hopes the system will encourage bicycle use in lieu of cars and buses–a switch that will cut traffic and CO2 emissions.
After subscribing to the system–either on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis–members will be issued contactless smart cards that will “unlock” the bicycles held in the docking stations.
Similar initiatives have seen mixed results. For instance, Barcelona and Lyon have successfully deployed bike sharing programs, while Paris’ Vélib has seen thousands of bikes stolen or damaged since its inauguration n 2007.
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