In his determination to transform London into a bicycle city, Mayor Boris Johnson declared 2010 as the “Year of Cycling” with its “Boris Bikes” share scheme, Cycle Superhighways and a target 5% mode share by 2026.

Boris Bikes are a Hit

Undoubtedly, the bike scheme is making a hit with riders and businesses alike. In their first three months (July – September, 2010) of operation, 100,000 people joined up and an average of 20,000 journeys were made per day. It has even enticed new cyclists e.g. women and ethnic minorities into engaging in this new public transport mode. Apart from it’s green theme, companies across the board says its benefits trumps in terms of time and costs.

The scheme’s first stage focused on central London where 5,000 bicycle hires were available at 350 docking stations, covering a 45 square kilometers area. The second stage has been announced and will cover east London, and an additional 2,000 cycles and 4,200 docking points. In its entirety, the scheme aims at 8,000 hire bikes, 14,400 docking points and a 65 square kilometers area.

The 2001 Census showed over 650,000 people in England and Wales biked to work, of whom 26.8% were women. Although the scheme is at its teething stages, it will be telling to see if the numbers shift in the 2011 Census (due March 27).

But Advocates say the City’s Cycling Infrastructure are a Miss

Bike advocates, however, highlight that the City’s miniscule 0.45% of transport funds, and, current bike infrastructure — poorly designed and unfocused — transport plans will completely miss the mark in striving for a cycle revolution. They also hope to rally support before politicians vote on the policy this February.

Also, statistics in the latest report by Transport of London places the city’s 2009 bike mode share at 2% which when compared with the targeted mode share of 5% by 2026 seems a far cry from being a revolution. In total contrast, London Cycling Campaign – an urban cycling non-profit – has its sights set on “One in five by 2025” and to match “the levels in Amsterdam.”.

What do you think, will London be able to hit either bull’s eye?

Photo credit morebyless and Tom Anderson via flickr and courtesy Creative Commons 2.0 Generic