London got its own bike scheme last week. Finally. Hurrah. It’s modelled on the Bixi here in Montreal, and for that reason I wrote a comparative piece for the Guardian: In Montreal’s tracks.
Barclays Cycle Hire / Flickr photo by Martin Deutsch
There’s a lot of cynicism floating around right now, but I have no doubt they will catch on. Londoners are, by nature, a cynical bunch and put us up against an in-your-face corporate sponsorship deal and we see red. Or, worse, Barclays blue. Barclays Blue sprayed all over the Barclays Cycle SuperHighways. Yuck. There is probably truth in the reports that blue was chosen before the sponsorship deal was struck, but, coincidence or not, it’s still stomach turning.
I appreciate that sponsorship money is important, but TFL and Boris struck a lame deal. They should have insisted they were called the Barclay’s XXsomethingXX, ie give them a very strong association, but not let them take over completely. Barclays Cycle Hire is not just unimaginative, it’s devious. No one is going to call the bikes, ‘Cycle Hire’. The word Barclays will always have to be used.
“I am just going to hop on my Barclays bike”, “I’ll be with you in as soon as I’ve jumped on a Barclays.” Sounds rubbish. Will it catch on? Maybe it will have to…
Does anyone remember the fold up bikes? ‘Go bag a Bickerton.’ Has stuck with me for years that slogan. They need something like that. See:
http://bickertonbicycles.co.uk/