Cycle Hire?

A recent trip to England gave me the chance to see London's version of the Bixi: Cycle Hire. A rather literal, uninspired name for the service. There were alot of the stands around full of bicycles though I did not see many people actually riding them. Given the amount of traffic in central London, cyclists have the aura of guerrillas battling superior forces.

One aspect of the cycling infrastructure that I would like to see implemented in Montreal is the use of colour on the bike paths to allow motorists to easily identify the paths. London chose blue (co-ordinated with the Cycle Hire colour scheme?) while in Portsmouth, the paths were green. Not every inch of a bike path was indicated in this way, but intersections and other areas where cars and bicycles have to interact were highlighted with the distinctive colour.