ON THE MOVE IN HCMC, VIETNAM

Get on ya bike!!!!….from your local library

Yes folks you heard right….. An innovative person(s) has come up with the of creating a bike library (yes you get a library card) where you can select a lovely shiney bike and ride away for… (not sure how long the loans are for)

I think its a great idea, especially for those who maybe in the city for a short period or may want to try out a bike before actually buying one. They have also come up with the lovely idea of ‘borrowing to buy’. Did I mention that they are on a bus, so the libabry moves around????

What a fantastic idea, but how practical is it? I mean they are based is East London at the moment, what if they came to south London and I borrowed a bike and a week later before I wanted to give up the bike, they moved back to east London, I wont be bothered with going all the way there to give it back and what if I wanted to swap halfway through the week??…I’m sure they have thought of all this and so if im in the London Fields over the next few days ill be sure to take a peak (bike)

Heathwick train to link major London airports but not London’s link to major international cities

With Heathrow full and Gatwick remaining the busiest international single runway in the world, the government of the UK has proposed that a new train linking the two major airports be developed to cut travel times between the two airports.

What’s the point though? This will only increase travel by 35 miles within London but with 2 miles of runway you can travel anywhere.

London could fall behind as a leading economic and business centre in the world if workers are not able to obtain direct access to key cities in China, India and Brazil.

Give us a break Boris

This is the digital image produced by the London Cycling campaign, which is demanding London Mayor Boris Johnson reconsider the pro car scheme designed for the Blackfriars Bridge. Having highlighted 2 fatal deaths in recent years and gathered data on near misses, at the heart of their design is the safety for both cyclists and pedestrians. The design itself is influenced by US road schemes which introduces Kerbs to keep cars out and in a time of financial restraint they claim that their proposals would only add an additional 1% to the cost.

With a notable increase in cyclists on the road and more people seeking to take up cycling through the encouragement of the Boris bikes and increased transport costs next year, it is clear that we are likely to see increasing demands from pro-cycle groups across the capital.

Ever had one of those days when your Oyster, Octopus or Clipper card has run out of dough???

Well it looks like a new technology maybe on its way (once an investor gets on board).

Once introduced though, it could be transformational when buying train, plan and other bus tickets. I can even imagine it being used on the congestion road / pay as you go road systems.

Good luck UrbanScale!

The Constructor’s Design Challenge Winners…..but will any of these replace your car?

As someone who has momentarily just brought a new folding bike in an attempt to avoid the expensive commuter costs around London and avoid driving schools while also attempting to keep fit, I was fascinated to come across some innovative new bike designs in a recent Oregan Manifest.

They featured all sort of fascinating designs including electric pedalling, increased storage, retro-reflective powder coating etc. If I was a bike enthusiast I would definitely be shopping around, rather than picking something off eBay.

However, with cycling increasing across the capital, this article has made me question why I have not seen a bit more variety in design away from the Brompton and Boris bikes and the usual. One thing that struck me about my recent purchase is the lack of space offered for storage, this would be great. The fact that the winner has come up with the inclusion of an  electric pedalling system has led me to think whether this would be enough to get people out of their cars and for new cyclists like myself to think more intuitively about the type of bike to get and how it should serve me in such a busy city.