So-called “Boris bikes” will soon be available to hire in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as the successful urban cycle hire scheme expands.

Newham Recorder: You'll soon see these in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Picture: PA Images/Nick Ansell)You'll soon see these in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Picture: PA Images/Nick Ansell) (Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Eight docking stations for the rentable bikes, sponsored by Barclays Bank and brought in under incumbent Mayor of London Boris Johnson, will be built in and around the park to link it up with the current hire zone.

This will amount to a total of 320 docking points in 560-acre home of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Work will begin next year and is expected to be completed by early 2016.

Mr Johnson said the expansion would be “a major milestone in the continued de-lycrafication of cycling in our city”.

He added: “The park is already a wonderful place to spend time and the addition of a fleet of hire bikes will make it an even more enticing place to visit for Londoners and visitors to the capital.

“Whether you’re an experienced cyclist or a total novice, I can think of no better way to take in all the sights of the Park than by hopping aboard one of our sturdy two-wheelers.”

The docking stations will be placed at key locations around the park, including the London Aquatics Centre, the Lee Valley Velopark and the ArcelorMittal Orbit.

There will also be three docking points around Hackney Wick station, close to the Copper Box Arena, while other potential sites continue to be scouted.

David Goldstone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, which runs the park, said: “What better way to explore all 560 acres of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park than on two wheels?

“Londoners and visitors are flocking to the area and this will be another new way to explore the park. We welcome cyclists of all ages and abilities to come and enjoy the beautiful parklands.”

More than 35 million hires have been made since the scheme launched in July 2010. It expandedg to east London in March 2012 with more than a million hires a month in the last four months.