Member Article

All 11,500 ‘Boris bikes’ to be fitted with startup’s tech

Transport for London (TfL) has joined forces with Blaze, a city-based startup, to increase safety for cyclists on the capital’s roads.

The transport operator announced plans to fit all 11,500 Santander Cycles, aka ‘Boris Bikes’ with light designed by Blazer, starting from 2016.

Santander will foot the bill for the technology, which project a laser image of a bike onto the road in front of the bike to alert pedestrians and drivers to the oncoming cyclist, thus helping drivers to avoid collisions at night.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson MP, said: “It’s fantastic that our Santander Cycles will be able to bring light to the dark side of the street with these nifty Laserlights. We’re always looking to develop new and innovative ways to help people cycle around the Capital more safely and these green lights will help all our cycle hire users to stay seen at night.

“I’m delighted that through this great partnership, we’re able to help improve safety and support the enterprise of another brilliant London start-up.”

During the trial period in September, 250 bikes had the laser lights fitted. During this period, around three-quarters of the bikes’ users said that it made them feel ‘more confident’ on the road.

Keith Moor, chief marketing officer at Santander UK, said: “When we became the partner of TfL on Santander Cycles we made a commitment to help increase the usage of the cycles. We know safety is a big barrier for people and this demonstrates the commitment on our part to help more people feel confident in accessing the scheme.

“But it is also shows our ongoing commitment to higher education, to entrepreneurs and to small businesses. For Blaze, this breakthrough business is on the cusp of something very exciting and we’re thrilled to be a part of that.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .