BORIS Johnson has called on East Enders to become pioneers of the capital s newest public transport system. As final preparations are made, Transport for London today announced that membership of the Mayor of London s Cycle Hire scheme will open on Fri

BORIS Johnson has called on East Enders to become "pioneers" of the capital's newest public transport system.

As final preparations are made, Transport for London today announced that membership of the Mayor of London's Cycle Hire scheme will open on Friday, ahead of the official scheme launch on 30 July.

Barclays Cycle Hire will initially be available to people who sign up for membership.

In order to use the scheme on 30 July, members will need to have received and activated their Cycle Hire key, so pioneers are urged to sign up as soon as possible.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: "I call on Londoners to sign up from this Friday and become pioneer members of this fantastic new addition to our transport system.

"I know that in time our scheme will become a new London icon and enable many more people to cycle in our magnificent city.

"I look forward to seeing cycle hire and superhighways working in tandem to make London a cyclised city."

The cycle hire scheme covers most of central London and part of the East End, including Brick Lane, Whitechapel High Street, Leman Street, Commercial Street and part of Commercial Road.

A membership key costs �3 with membership costs at �1 for a 24 hour membership, �5 for seven days and �45 for an annual membership.

The first 30 minutes of any journey will be free. For more information on how to become a member of Barclays Cycle Hire and advice on how to use the scheme visit www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire