Councillor Feryal Demirci set the wheels in motion for the new Barclays Cycle Hire scheme by taking one of the bikes for a spin around the streets of Hackney on Monday.

Councillor Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, started her journey in Shoreditch High Street and finished up at one of the docking stations in Fanshawe Street, Hoxton.

Barclays Cycle Hire, which was officially launched by Transport for London (TFL) on Friday, 30 July 2010, is a central London initiative aimed at providing an additional mode of transport that will complement existing TFL operated Bus, Tube, Overground and Tram systems.

By encouraging more short journeys to be completed by bike, the scheme is yet another step towards making London a genuine cycle friendly city and should help to alleviate the pressure on some of the existing, more frequently used methods of transport.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “It’s great this scheme is finally running, as many people in the borough are eager to sign up and start cycling the streets of Hackney and the rest of the capital.

“Not only does this scheme improve the environment, it will also help people lead a healthier lifestyle. I certainly enjoyed giving one of the bikes a road test and am looking forward to doing it again in the near future.”

Over the last few months, cycles and docking stations have been assembled, tested, branded and programmed to be installed across the capital in readiness for use from Friday, 30 July 2010. People are now able to pick up and drop off one of 6,000 hire cycles at around 400 locations across London’s zone one travel area.

Fourteen docking points are located around the southern end of Hackney. These include East Road, Falkirk Street, Leonard Circus, Murray Grove, New North Road, Old Street, Shoreditch Park and Wenlock Road.

A programme of road shows across central London has been launched, which will give people in Hackney all the information they need to sign up, saddle up and set off on Barclays Cycle Hire. At the road shows, people will be able to see all of the kit including the final bicycle, docking points, terminals and find out information about the new Barclays Cycle Superhighways

The next road show closest to Hackney will be on Sunday, 22 August 2010 between 9.00am and 5.00pm at Spitalfields Market, London E1 6AA.

If people would like to find out further information about the Barclays Hire Scheme, they should visit: www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire

Hackney Council provides two hours free cycle training to all those who live, work and study in the borough. Even experienced cyclists can benefit from cycle training.

To book a cycle training session, please phone the Hackney Service Centre on 020 8356 2897. For more information about cycling in Hackney, please visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/movebybike