Revealed: London’s most popular cycle hire routes don’t actually go anywhere

It’s not the most #iconic bit of TfL’s vast network, but London’s self-service cycle hire scheme (now called Santander Cycles) has encouraged countless Londoners and visitors on to two wheels since it started in 2010. Tens of thousands of trips are made each day, using more than 11,500 bikes at upwards of 750 docking stations. But we’ve discovered from the most recent Santander Cycles data that the most popular journeys aren’t really journeys at all.

Of the top ten cycle hire trips, nine are scenic jaunts across or around Hyde Park – six of which finish at the same docking station as they started. Only one (from Waterloo to Stonecutter Street in Holborn) actually involves cycling on busy roads. Which is probably good news for London’s four-wheeled drivers, but it does suggest that Boris bikes serve more people as a tourist attraction than as a means of getting from A to B.

Here are London’s top ten Santander Cycle journeys:

Here’s everything you need to know about London’s cycle hire scheme.