New cycle revolution unfolds at the station (From Oxford Mail)

New cycle revolution unfolds at the station

10:10am Saturday 16th March 2013 in Oxford By Damian Fantato, covering Summertown, Jericho and North Oxford. Call me on 01865 425429

THE launch of a new bicycle borrowing scheme has been hailed as part of Oxford’s cycling revolution.

Yesterday saw the launch of the £90,000 Brompton Dock scheme at Oxford Station which will allow tourists and commuters to borrow a folding bike.

Ian Hudspeth, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, was at the station to unveil the new scheme.

He said: “This is a fantastic idea because it provides another travel solution. It is all part of a whole package.

“The Brompton is fantastic because it is small and good for travelling on trains with.

“We realise cycling is an important part of Oxford’s life and there are around 22,000 cyclists in the city. It is about integrating it with trains and cars.”

Mr Hudspeth said the county council’s £3.7m redevelopment of Frideswide Square, which has been put back because of the planned revamp of the station, is part of its bid to make Oxford more welcoming for cyclists.

The city and county councils are working together to deliver the Cycle City scheme, which will see up to £840,000 spent over four years to make the city cycle-friendly.

And the county council will also be trialling a so-called “Boris bike” cycle hire scheme as part of its expansion of Thornhill park-and-ride.

Richard Mann, of cycling campaign group Cyclox, said: “It’s excellent to see this scheme being launched in Oxford and it will be great for people visiting or commuting.

“There are lots of things like this which take the pain out of cycling and this could be a way of getting on a bike having not cycled for a while.”

Brompton Docks have been installed in seven locations already including Bristol Temple Meads and Manchester Piccadilly.

Buying your own Brompton would set you back £745 or more, but now you can hire them for a fiver.

The dock is next to the Botley Road footbridge.

Station manager Dave Martin said: “We’re really excited to have this Brompton Dock here. We’ve had a lot of interest in it and staff have been asked about it a lot.

“The great benefit of a folding bicycle is there is no restriction on the trains you can take it on.”

Cyclists will be able to borrow a bicycle by registering with Brompton Dock and using a PIN which will be sent to their mobile phone via text. Borrowing a Brompton costs up to £5-a-day.

Mark Antwis, the managing director of Brompton Dock, said: “Oxford has got a fantastic cycling culture and we have found that in other places like that the uptake is very good.”

The scheme was initially announced in early October but was delayed to allow First Great Western to fill out the correct paperwork.

How it works...

To hire a bike you first need to register with Brompton Dock.
When you register you select one of the tariffs, pay an annual membership fee and get a PIN.
Once registered you then send a text with your PIN and the number of the dock you wish to use to receive an access code for a locker containing a bike. A hire fee will be charged to your card.
If a bike in your possession is lost, stolen or damaged beyond repair you may have to pay up to £500.
Brompton Docks suggests not leaving the bike locked or chained up in a public place.