Councillors back extension of cycling scheme
Merton council last night backed Liberal Democrat plans to call for the expansion of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme to Merton.
Following the meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Mary-Jane Jeanes who proposed the motion, said:
"I am delighted that the Council voted to begin negotiations with the Mayor of London about extending the Bike Hire Scheme to Merton. More cycling means less congestion and air pollution, improving health.
"It's also a great opportunity to look at what works and what doesn't work about the existing scheme, and argue for improvements. Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly have highlighted a number of issues, like problems with docking stations and new users being confused - and this is contributing to the fact that only a narrow group of people are using it. Now's also the time for Merton to look at what it can do to improve things for cyclists - by tackling road safety at junctions for example.
"The Liberal Democrats first advocated a bike hire scheme in 2001 and want to make sure it works for the widest range of Londoners."
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September 13, 2012