London opts for bicycle rentals to ease gridlock

LONDON -- The city is launching a bicycle rental program in hopes of easing congestion in a European capital once known for its gridlock.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, an avid cycling enthusiast, put 4,700 out of a planned 6,000 bikes on the road Friday. Under the program, cyclists will be able to borrow bikes from 400 docking stations throughout the city.

At the start, only those who sign up for membership in advance will be eligible to take part. Membership costs 45 pounds a year, or about $70. Tourists or other casual users will not be eligible for at least a month.

London joins dozens of cities with such programs, including Washington, Milan, Boston, Barcelona, Paris and Zurich.

Johnson called it "a new dawn for the bicycle in the capital," but veterans of the London cycling scene said they are bracing for a new era of transit mayhem because, unlike in Amsterdam, where bike paths are separated from the road by a curb, in London, a white line is the only protection for cyclists.