One of the best things about living in Malaga is the perfect bicycle weather. The council in Malaga has adopted the ‘Boris Bike’ scheme used in London to encourage people to cycle to work instead of taking private or public transport, and many companies in London have promoted this scheme to get their employees to cycle into central London and reduce the pressure on public transport and the amount of pollution caused by commuters.
The council have placed bike stations around the city and have created cycle lanes where bicycles can cycle away from traffic. The scheme is really simple: you go to the travel office, buy a travel card and top it up with €5. You then download the app, which tells you where to find the bike lanes and whether there are any bikes left to rent or spaces left to leave your bike. There are lots of bike stations around the city and they’re situated about a mile away from each other, so you are never too far away from a station. They’re really useful for getting around the city.
It doesn’t matter what you are wearing or how tall you are as the seats are easily adjustable and the frame is low, which means ladies can ride a bike wearing a skirt. It’s brilliant for keeping fit and enjoying the sunshine and it takes some of the pressure off public transport as more people are using bicycles than buses to get to work now. All you have to do is scan your card on the machine and after a few seconds it releases the bike for you. A bonus is that the first half an hour is completely free of charge, which means you can cycle just about anywhere in the city for free! The scheme also reduces the likelihood of having your own bike stolen or damaged and there are baskets for you to put any bags or coats in so they don’t get in the way as you cycle.
The only problem with the scheme is that the cycle lanes tend to meander and are not very direct. Sometimes there is no bike lane at all where you want to go and other times the bike stations are at least a mile away from where you want to go, so you end up walking back the way you came after dropping the bike off at the station.
Overall, the scheme is a brilliant idea and one that should definitely have more money invested in it!
Have you ever rented a bike? Does your city have a bike rental scheme? Do you think it is a good idea?
