Kick-start for public bike hire scheme in capital as vandal puts the boot in

Overlooked by the London Eye on the south bank of the River Thames, Mayor Boris Johnson helped launched the scheme at one of the 400 central London docking stations where 6,000 hire cycles will be stored.

More than 12,000 people have signed up for the Barclays Cycle Hire project, which aims to generate up to 40,000 extra cycle trips a day in central London.

Mr Johnson said today: "Londoners have awoken to a new dawn for the bicycle in the capital. Overnight, racks have been filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace as black cabs and red buses.

"My crusade for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a gigantic pedal-powered push forwards."

But a 23-year-old was held on suspicion of criminal damage in New Inn Yard, Shoreditch, east London, at about 2.30am.

Witnesses said he lashed out at one of the bright blue and grey machines and told bystanders he was angry after losing his mobile phone.

The cycle scheme was also targeted by demonstrators protesting against sponsorship by Barclays bank.

Blue banner stickers were attached to several bicycles parked at a stand in Hyde Park Corner.

They carried slogans comparing the 25m Barclays is spending sponsoring the scheme to its investment in defence companies.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the man arrested in Shoreditch has been released on bail until August pending further inquiries.

To begin with, the scheme will be available to those who sign up for membership. They will then receive a key which costs 3, with membership costs at 1 for 24 hours, 5 for seven days and 45 for an annual membership.

The first 30 minutes of any journey will be free, and the next 30 minutes will cost 1, with rising costs for journeys of more than one hour.

Casual users will be able to hire cycles around four weeks after yesterday's launch.

Docking stations will be available in Camden, City of London, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Westminster and several Royal Parks.