Boris bike fail/success

One of the lasting legacies that Boris has left to London is the cycle hire scheme – or the Boris Bikes as they will undoubtedly forever be known.

And, the Mayor was at the Westfield Centre in Shepherd’s Bush to celebrate the first anniversary of the scheme which has been a resounding success. To stage a useful photo opportunity, Bozza asked Samantha Brown of Clapham to join him in a short rise on a Boris bike through the centre.

Sadly, the 26 year old promptly fell off the bike.

“That was the most embarrassing moment of my life,” she said. “I haven’t ridden a bike for three years…”

The Mayor was on hand to check that the shopper was OK before continuing the anniversary celebrations with the news that Barclays pledging an additional £25 million to the project and extending their sponsorship until 2018.

This money will be used to fund the extension of the network through Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth, and Kensington and Chelsea. The Mayor was obviously delighted, saying: “[It is a] testament to the huge impact of Barclays Cycle Hire and to the rapidly increasing popularity of pedal power in London that I can announce we are now planning to swathe a huge chunk of the west of our city with our beautiful blue bikes.”