Bikeep bike storage

[Wowbagger]

A new building has recently been erected at one of my favourite swimming spots. It's a cage clearly intended for the storage of bicycles. I've thought about using it, but that was before it was "fully functional". Also, it's the wrong side of the promenade and can't be seen from the beach. I like to park my ridiculously expensive bicycle where I can see it.

It now appears to be functional. I had a look at it and it seems to be run by an outfit called "Bikeep". Their website describes them as being a commercial solution for the storage of bicycles. You have to download an app and operate it to open the door of the building. I would imagine that you then have to hand over some cash and lock your bike to one of the small number of Sheffield stands therein.

Today, there were about half a dozen bikes locked to posts and railings very close to the steps down to the beach and none at all in this damned-fool erection inspired by a totally misguided capitalist venture.

Has anyone else seen anything like this, or used it?

[delthebike]

There are six or seven of these sheds in and around Southend, you'll find one in Priory Park at the car park. It would have been better to put more Sheffield stands along the promenades rather than, presumably, rent the space to a commercial enterprise. I doubt I would ever use one.
I would be in favour of removing every 20th parking space and put four stands in the freed spaces with bollard protection along the edges to prevent accidental damage to the stands/bikes.

[grams]

People in surveys often ask for more secure cycle parking, and DfT grants are available for it.

Since bike sheds don't upset the demographic that matters (motorists) as much as evil things like cycle lanes, councillors find it an easy way to spend "Active Travel" money.

That doesn't mean any sod will actually use them.

[Kim]

Problem with secure bike storage of this ilk, is that they always seem render it unusable through a combination of either  a) location, location, location  or  b) requiring you sign up for a monthly subscription  using c) some webby SCIENCE that doesn't work

I haven't signed up for the actually pretty good cycle parking facility at Silly Oak station due to the combination of (a) and (c).  (Indeed, why would anyone with a perfectly good bicycle stop at Silly Oak rather than proceeding to cycle all the way into town and cut out the Cross Shitty Line altogether.)

[Kim]

I would be in favour of removing every 20th parking space and put four stands in the freed spaces with bollard protection along the edges to prevent accidental damage to the stands/bikes.

A several of these popped up in Birmingham city centre a few years ago:  https://cyclehoop.com/product/car-bike-port/

I quite like them, as they're decent enough to park your bike to, the car outline makes a not-so-subtle point, and - crucially - they meet that council requirement of being a lump of capital expenditure with negligible installation or maintenance costs.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I understand bike-parking garages like this are common in Japan and Netherlands, though I've no idea of the payment or whether they use apps.

I've used those "car bike ports" in Bath (there's one between the abbey and what used to be the Empire Hotel) and yes, they make a point, but they're slightly less usable than a plain row of Sheffield stands.

In Bristol the council has been installing a few closed lockers in place of car spaces on residential roads, for residents to rent space within. Obviously they're addressing a different problem than the garages and ports.

[rafletcher]

The diffeence between the UK and NL/Japan is the type of bicycle commonly used. They don’t go around on ridiculously expensive steeds, they go around on city bikes with stands. So there’s less concern over theft, tho I understand cycle theft is pretty prevalent in the NL, where the parking at a station that I saw was just massed ranks in shelters. The one I saw in Japan was 3 levels underground, and you put your bike on a transport mechanism at ground level and took a ticket. The bike store (essentially a mini automated warehouse) did the rest. I think in Japan it’s more about lack of (ground) space, away from the stations bikes just get parked wherever is convenient.

Our local station (FCVO local) at Wendover has introduced bike stores, these being on the platforms in see-through CCTV monitored enclosures with 2 level storage, the upper being a kind of cantilever affair. They look well used.

[Mr Larrington]

In Bristol the council has been installing a few closed lockers in place of car spaces on residential roads, for residents to rent space within. Obviously they're addressing a different problem than the garages and ports.

There’s three within a stone’s throw of Larrington Towers and I had a missive from the cooncil the other day saying they’re proposing to install another.