Greg Hands M.P. met officials from Transport for London this week for a full update on the expansion of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme. Until now, the only parts of Chelsea and Fulham with docking stations were around Sloane Square and parts of the Fulham Road. Now, all parts of the constituency will be within easy range of the Boris Bikes.
Transport for London have been working with the boroughs to develop the proposals and identify more than 200 locations for docking stations. Planning consent submissions started in November and construction is due to begin in May 2013. There will also be more docking points in the existing areas to improve availability.
The number of bikes will increase by 2,400 to around 11,000, with an additional 250,000 journeys expected each month when the expansion is launched in December 2013. All docking stations are expected to be in place by spring 2014.
Greg Hands M.P. said: “It was good to hear of the progress being made in bringing Boris Bikes westward. The scheme will expand to cover the whole of the Chelsea & Fulham constituency, from Cheyne Walk round to Putney Bridge, and from Old Brompton Road across to Fulham Palace Road.
“No resident will be more than about 500 yards away from a docking station. This is a really significant boost to local transport, particularly for those who are further from the underground and bus networks.
“I’m delighted to see the Mayor delivering on his election pledge, and thank Barclays Bank for their sponsorship.”