San Francisco cops lure thieves with “bait bikes”

Police in San Francisco have started to leave “bait bikes” around the city to snare cycle thieves, according to the New York Times. The high-value bikes are equipped with GPS and an ability to phone home, so that the SFPD can locate the thief – and when they do, they report their catch on Twitter. One such message read “already in custody… oh the look on his face when we showed up to say hello”. 

Reading bike hire launches on June 10

Reading is the latest town to get its own bike hire scheme, with 200 bikes setting sail under the Readybike banner.

The system is set to launch on June 10th, operated by specialist firm Hourbike. 29 docking stations will be in operation, at locations such as Reading Station, Broad Street, Thames Valley Park, the University of Reading, Whitley, Green Park, and north of the Thames in Caversham. Reading’s cycle maps and directional signage have been updated to include locations of docking stations across the town.

Two of the docking stations will follow later – Reading Station South, where installation has been delayed by the ongoing station redevelopment, and an ‘out-of-borough’ docking station at Earley.

How it works

Regular hirers can choose to become ‘members’ of Readybike by signing up at www.readybike.co.uk. For members, use of ReadyBike is free for half an hour at the start of every rental and then £1 an hour after that, with a maximum rental cap of £4. Annual membership costs £50.

For people who do not want to be members, ReadyBike is also available for occasional or one-off use by users registering their details online. The tariff for non-members is the same as that for members (£1 an hour) but they do not get the first 30 minutes of every rental free and the maximum rental charge is at £7.

To rent a bike, users tap in their membership number and PIN. Once the selected bike has been chosen at the console, a light on top of the selected dock will begin to flash meaning it is ready to use. To return a bike, the user only has to insert their bike into any empty dock at any station. The dock will accept the bike and automatically close the open rental period for that user on an electronic system. Members can keep a constant check on their personal account online.

An online tutorial explains the system:

Hourbike are already running similar schemes in Liverpool, Dumfries, Nottingham, Lincoln and Southport.

Cambridge bike lanes on hold

Plans to build cycle lanes along Huntingdon Road and Hills Road in Cambridge have encountered an unexpected last-minute delay. Councillors have demanded changes to the Government-funded scheme, which would create Dutch-style segregated lanes along these busy roads. Speaking against the plans, one LibDem councillor said “I can’t tell you how often I see cyclists disobeying red lights”, while another said “It’s a significant minority of ‘kamikaze’ cyclists: allowing them to have priority means less confident bus users will be stranded on the [bus stop] island.”

Traffic Droid, London’s cycling vigilante

YouTube star Traffic Droid has broken through to the mass media this weekend after a Channel 4 feature. The commuter cyclist, real name Lewis Dediare, videos errant motorists with an array of five cameras fixed to his bike – and then posts the results publicly. He explains his rationale to the Telegraph: “Why do people get away with traffic violations that could cost someone their life? If you deal with somebody early enough, that prepares them so they can be more cautious on the roads.”

Egrets? We have a few

Cyclists could soon be enjoying a scenic ride along Sussex’s River Ouse along a new traffic-free route, the Egrets Way.

The route is proposed by the South Downs National Park – Britain’s newest – together with Sustrans and local cyclists. With funding already secured from the Department for Transport, the route has now been submitted to Lewes District Council for approval.

Two sections of the route have already opened: a link from the village of Kingston into Lewes, and a new one-mile bridleway between Rodmell and Southease. The latest application, however, would be the real breakthrough – a five mile largely traffic-free route beside the beautiful River Ouse.

The South Downs National Park received £3.8m from Government to improve local cycle routes, and the Egrets Way is one of the flagship schemes. The new route would link into the Anglo-French Avenue Verte at its southern end, and run parallel to the local railway for easy out-and-back family rides.

The Ouse Valley Cycle Network project sees the new path as the centre of “a network of interlinking cycle and walking routes within the Ouse Valley between Lewes and Newhaven”. Most of the path would follow the western riverbank, though around the village of Piddinghoe – where there is no footpath to upgrade – the route would divert onto the existing road.

Simon Giddey, chair of Cycle Lewes, said the plans were “bold, imaginative and realistic”. He explained:

“The current roads between Lewes and Newhaven are heavily dominated by road traffic and deter all but the most confident and experienced cyclists. The routes are almost impossible for pedestrians as, for large sections, there are no pavements. A safe, traffic-free, route for cyclists and pedestrians will be a huge bonus.

“It will also have significant potential benefits for local tourism. With the proximity to the Newhaven ferry terminal, it should prove very attractive to visitors from the continent.”

The Rodmell–Southease link is scheduled to officially open on 7th June: meet at Southease Bridge at 10am to walk, cycle or ride the new bridleway.

The Ouse Valley Cycle Network site has more details on the proposed route.