Speaker A. The city bike system in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is very well developed. The bicycles have motors to help you go uphill, and you get them out of the locked stands by leaving a deposit. There are different ways to pay and the cost is low. I can't bike myself because I don’t have a good sense of balance but I saw lots of those bikes last summer when I visited Helsinki.

Speaker B. Glasgow's city bike system is terrible. Big, heavy London style bikes in a city built on a series of steep hills? We should have mountain bikes the same way they do in places with a similar geography (like in Norway). The bicycle lanes are terrible as well. The whole system was obviously designed by those who have never cycled in the city. The worst part is that the money has been spent now and we won't get it back.

Speaker C. In Hamburg the first half hour is free. Most journeys take maximum half an hour or less. You pay a nominal fee of €5 to register but this becomes credit for your first journey. Thus, the system is effectively free. If you do go over half an hour it's 6c or 8c a minute to a maximum of €12. The bikes are of excellent quality. They even have children’s bikes in different sizes if you are travelling with your parents which I often do!

Speaker D. In Sydney, Australia, the city bike system is a complete failure. Why? We have a corrupt state Liberal National Party government that fights a bike-⁠friendly progressive council at every turn. We also have a Murdoch Sydney tabloid called 'The Daily Telegraph' which demonises bicycle riders and bike infrastructure. God knows who they represent or who is paying them... extremely dumb big business? It’s basically bicycle rider’s hell.

Speaker E. I have a feeling some cities have city bike systems because it is cool, I mean cool hip cities have to have city bike systems, right? I believe Las Vegas started something where you can share your own bike. I am just not sure if the beach cruisers they are using are the best city bikes. And that’s exactly what they are using all over Las Vegas.

Speaker F. Even though I rarely use the service I have just renewed my Dublinbike subscription. The closest station is about a fifteen minute walk from my home, so expansion would be welcome. However, the expansion plans are being postponed by a lack of funding as sponsorship is not enough to cover the costs. Trams in the center of Dublin make cycling very unpleasant.