A forward thinking and potentially practical idea that deserves a fair chance. As others have noted, there are plenty of issues to be ironed out, but if well planned it could be a real asset.

Of course, it would be pointless without a new set of workable bike lanes (free from busses and pedestrians as well as cars) - cycling through central london is a terrifying and highly laborious task at the moment.

Ed B, London,

Can there be a group of people more into freeloading than cyclists? If you want to use your bicylce - go and pay for it yourself. And you can pay for your own cycle lanes as well. And you can stop congestion by getting out of bus lanes. What's wrong with walking? Ugh.

Philippa Pirie, London, England

Encouraging cycling is the way forward. Cycling is a form of transprot, not just recreation and the more people that use it the better for everyone. Why should helmets be necessary? No one in The Netherlands wears one. All we need is a safe cycle network that is not cut up by cars and traffic. Well done Ken Livingston for trying. I look forward to the will to provide facilities to enable people to use bikes spreading to other cities.

Sam, Carlisle,

He "needed his Tube journeys to catch up on reading." Thanks to the congestion charge, when's the last time you had space to read on the tube!?

James Brown, London,

Are the bikes gold plated? £75 million would seem to imply so...

Chantel, Wales,

I concur with the concerns raised by other commentators? What provisions will be made for cyclists? Why can't the Mayor get advertisers to pay for the scheme instead of using our already high council taxes? Why is it costing so much to operate per bike if there will be a charge associated with use? Why not integrate the rental system with the oyster card system already in place around London instead of devising a seperate system? It would be nice is Ken took time out to talk to Londoners.

Diana, London,

This sounds complicated...

I wouldn't bother studying all the rules on the bikes - I'd get a taxi.

Timothy Foxley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

This could wreak havoc if not prepared properly. Would there be cycle lanes all through London? Because cycling on congested streets is a nightmare without them.
Also, considering the number of casualties and deaths which result from cyclists not wearing helmets, would there be any way in which that could be compulsory?

Meg, Pembs,

I want to know the Chinese bike manufacturer who is providing these bikes

I want to buy shares in them, before the order for 6000 bikes hits the news wires when it is reported

Nicholas Iles, Oswestry, Shropshire

Wouldn't it be great if all cities had the same set up. Think of all the carbon emissions you could save.

Marie-Claire Oliver, Bath, United Kingdom

Sounds like a great plan - not. 6,000 extra bikes on the road plus the additional vehicles that as of October will be allowed in to the zone for free. Gotta love Mayor Ken's 'congestion reducing' measures.....

Katy, Clapham,

how about spending the money making the streets safer first?

Peter, London,

They have a similar scheme in Valencia. The bikes are rather heavy and unwieldy due to their "sturdy" design, which means they're only suitable for relatively short journeys. There were no helmets but they do come with integrated lights and padlocks, handy if you want to stop off between docking stations. Perhaps this is a scheme which will appeal more to tourists than residents.

Grace , Edinburgh, UK

Excellent idea in London. But what about other cities?

And, won't the bikes just be nicked?

Austin Tassletine, South West,

So, in Paris it's "Velib-rage," scheme.

In London will it be the "Spin-rage" scheme.?

After all, thats what this is........

Louise , Mirfield, England

I'm worried about helmets - what do they do in Paris? Encouraging thousands of helmet-free cyclists to career around central london is not a good idea. But, if helmets and lights are available, I think this would be truly fantastic.

Rachel, Watford,

A nice idea, but look at the economics, and do they have lights for night-time use? How long before the bikes and thier associated docking stations are removed by the slimes of our society and sold for scrap to fund thier habits. Who is going to make sure the bikes are not stolen? Sorry London, but you do harbour some dregs of society, and your overstretched police force already have thier hands tied doing mounds of paperwork to take on this added responsibility. And before anyone else says it, I doubt if Milton Keynes fares much better:)

Ron, Milton Keynes, Bucks

I trust the users will be properly instructed about riding on pavements, ploughing through pedestrians on crossings, ignoring all the traffic signals and just about every road safety rule ever thought up!

Roy, Chinnor, UK

hmm. so this is a £75million scheme to provide 6000 bicycles for a population of 7.5million..thats 1 bike for every 1,250 residents costing £12,500 each....value for money?

Conor, London,