Help ! Securing many bikes at work

[hatler]

Once again I ask the yacf panel for their collected thoughts and knowledge.

Background
I help organise the BUG at work. Approx 4000 work on the site which consists of a number of buildings. There are over 350 people in the BUG, of whom approx 50 or 60 cycle on any day in the Winter, and perhaps 120 on any day in the Summer. We have one secure bike park (swipe access door) at one end of the site, and then five separate open unsecured bike sheds behind a number of the individual buildings.

Problem
In Autumn last year a number of bikes were stolen. Whilst the thief was finally caught and (so I'm told) prosecuted, there is a good deal of unease in the BUG about placing bikes in the open sheds. For the moment (when cycling numbers are comparatively low) those cycling have room in the secure shed for their bike. Come Summer (or even Spring) there will not be enough room.

We have asked that site management provide a second secure bike park at the opposite end of the site to the other one. They have deemed that the cost of securing the existing shed (approx £30,000) is prohibitive, and are keen to seek other ways of providing a level of security that BUG members will be happy with.

Question
Does anyone know of a system that is available which could provide good levels of security for up to 60 bikes (but up to 150 different actual cyclists) for significantly less than £30,000 ?

How much do the individual bike boxes cost for example ?
Is there a modular bike parking facility that comes ready built and cheap ?

Many thanks for any/all input.

[Greenbank]

All of the lockers at Sekura-Byk Ltd are over £500 each (£30k/60 = £500).

The [sic] Double Byk Klamp is £316, so that's £158 per bike.

30 * £313 (cheaper when ordering 01 or more) = £9390.

Doesn't include installation though and I'd have to have a closer look at one to gauge security as I'm not sold by the pictures.

Cycle Lockers also do some lockers. Annoyingly they don't put prices on their website.

Personally I'd try and go for 30 solidly sunk-in Sheffield stands with space between for two bikes and educate people about using a good D-lock through the frame and rear wheel to the Sheffield Stand. Ideally a second D-lock through the front wheel but a Kryptoflex cable might do if there's enough other deterrents.

If this is what you've got at the moment, and there are still bikes being nicked, then you've got a different problem.

[microphonie]

There's also Urban Engineering who iirc are highly recommended by Simon L

[TimO]

£30000 does seem a fair amount, why so expensive?

Assuming the existing shed is more or less enclosed, and you just need a locking door, then could this be added to an existing access control system?  Or if one doesn't exist, you could do something as simple as have a Yale lock, door closure device and 60 keys.  Not the most secure system, but better than no door, and certainly a lot less than £30000 to implement.

[andygates]

Our pimpy secure bike shed was that sort of cost, but the Trust were able to get it co-funded by the Council, 50:50.  Exeter is a cycling demonstration town and the NHS are a public wossname, so there's plenty of reasons we got the loot.

Worth asking your council for a co-fundy grant.  That'll keep the bean-counters happy.

[Zoidburg]

I would go to a direct supplier/manufacturer of iron mongery. A few coils of transport chain and enough closed shackle padlocks to do everyone a good heavy lock. A direct order with the likes of Hiatt or Abus will run too hundreds of pounds at the most. Cutting the chain will be the pain in the arse - hire a still saw. 

[alves]

Can you help get extra funding for this. My employer applied for a grant for cycle storage racks. In the end, they missed the deadline but there may be money available, it might be worth speaking to your local council's cycling officer (soemtimes called Sustainable Transport Person or something similar).

[Kathy]

Can you help get extra funding for this. My employer applied for a grant for cycle storage racks. In the end, they missed the deadline but there may be money available, it might be worth speaking to your local council's cycling officer (soemtimes called Sustainable Transport Person or something similar).

+1 to this. I'll dig out the details for you.

[vorsprung]

This £30,000 figure seems utterly rediculous.  I would be fascinated to see the costings behind it.

For less than £30k you could hire security guard to see the people in and out of the bike shed

[LEE]

The setup at work sounds similar to yours.  A few open bike sheds and the occasional theft.

In the last month, the site owners put a fence around the open bike sheds and put a badge reader entry system on a proper gate.

I don't think the fence is much more than the sort you see around temporary building sites (poles in concrete blocks) but the gate is substantial.

You could still climb the fence I suppose but I'm hoping that may seem suspicious to our ever alert security team.

Maybe Urban_Biker Chillmoister or Keeks could post some photos.

£30K seems a lot until you get some quotes to recover a flat roof on a domestic garage or to get the council to drop 6 feet of kerb.

[iakobski]

This £30,000 figure seems utterly rediculous.  I would be fascinated to see the costings behind it.

For less than £30k you could hire security guard to see the people in and out of the bike shed

Unlikely, including all the overheads. Even then it would be for one year only, the secure shed would last longer than a year.

The costs for the shed are £500 per space one-off cost, plus a nominal amount for ongoing maintenance, plus opportunity cost of the land.

Assuming the OP's workplace provides car parking, this is a bargain in comparison. How much did it cost, per space, to tarmac and paint the car park? What is the opportunity cost - depends on location but an out-of-town business park would have each space costing about £1000 per year?

Perhaps the OP can find an accountant in the company to cost this properly and compare to the car parking - it could be presented as a cost saving rather than an expense.

[Kathy]

Can you help get extra funding for this. My employer applied for a grant for cycle storage racks. In the end, they missed the deadline but there may be money available, it might be worth speaking to your local council's cycling officer (soemtimes called Sustainable Transport Person or something similar).

+1 to this. I'll dig out the details for you.

Right. Last year, our company did a thing called the "Cycle 50% challenge". It was a collaberation between our company, Surrey County Council, and the Company of Cyclists. 15 commuters were given the loan of a bike and accessories and training by the Company of Cyclists, and were encouraged to make up to 50% of their commutes for a month by bicycle. Our company paid £130 per commuter (total cost £1,950), and the council then funded up to £8,000 of improvements to our cycle parking at work. It was a bit fiddly, 'cos we could only use the council-specified contractors to install the security stuff, and because the Company of Cyclists, whilst terribly lovely people, would have trouble organising their way out of a wet paper bag, but we did get the benefits in the end.

Speak with your local council and see if there is anything like this available.

[urban_biker]

I sugest you all drive into work until the issue is resolved.

If the parking situation at your place is anything like ours then an extra 60-100 cars will certainly help focus them on resolving the issue.

[Greenbank]

Or, buy an old banger of a car/van for 50 quid, put your bike in the back and drive in to work. Leave the vehicle in the car park and cycle home. Continue to cycle commute but use your car/van to store your bike during the day. Try and get as many of the others as possible to do this (with their own vehicles obviously).

Luckily we don't have to worry about parking spaces. Being in central London means that hardly anyone drives. Trains, tubes and buses abound. Driving in would cost nearly 2 grand a year in congestion charges alone (unless you want to work 12 hour days) and there are only 60 free parking spaces for an office of 1000, anyone who doesn't get a free spot gets to pay 12 quid for the day.

We fit 60 bicycles in the space that would be given to 4 cars and that could easily be upped to 100 if they spent a couple of grand on some proper racks designed to use the space efficiently.

[TimO]

We have storage facility for a great number of bikes, I think I've seen a figure of 600 quoted in the past.  Unfortunately they are of the angled metal trough variety, which is generally quoted as the worst sort of stand you can use.

It's also not helped that some students seem to view bicycles as a disposable items, and have a nasty habit of just leaving them in the store when they leave.  Security doesn't do a very good job of removing redundant bicycles, and when I leave late in the evenings (which is often after all the students have gone, my pass allows access later than there's do), there are still several hundred bikes in the store, many of them clearly untouched in a long time.

It's starting to get to the point where it is getting difficult to park bikes, since so many space are permanently occupied.

I don't see much chance of us getting additional space though.

At some point I suspect I'll have to chase our security bods to do a half decent job of removing the gradually rotting stuff (at least it'll probably all get recycled via an auction).

[andygates]

I don't see much chance of us getting additional space though.

There is always point.  If you build it, they will come.

[TimO]

I don't see much chance of us getting additional space though.

There is always point.  If you build it, they will come.

I'm all for building more bike storage, but when they built the present store under a new building (with a staircase into it, which genius came up with that), they removed all the convenient and useful sheffield stands around campus.  There was a comment at the time (and I can't verify this) that they were removed at the order of the rector, since they made the college look untidy.

For all its shortcomings, the bike store does have secure doors on it, so it's harder to get in or out without a swipe card (although you can just follow someone at busy times).  I can't see another similar facility being built in the near future.

[Cunobelin]

Our Trust has just invested in a dozen Cycleworks "VeloSafes" at various points around the Sites.



They are providing a free secure bike park, but if you want the individual security of a bike locker they are looking at charging  about £4 per month.

Personally I think this is reasonable - now if only they did one big enough for a recumbent trike!

[TimO]

I'd happily pay £4 a month for that in a second, as would most other people I know with bikes which aren't just BSOs.

[andygates]

They're big though.  You could get Sheffields for a dozen bikes in that space.

[LEE]

Or, buy an old banger of a car/van for 50 quid, put your bike in the back and drive in to work. Leave the vehicle in the car park and cycle home. Continue to cycle commute but use your car/van to store your bike during the day.

THAT...THAT...is a bloody genius idea!

Seriously. 

I love thinking outside the box and that's a classic example.

Scrap cars are worth nothing at the moment.  All you need at our place is a parking permit (just give them the Reg. of the scrapper)  and you can leave it there ad infinitum.

I can get any of my bikes in a Mondeo hatchback without taking wheels off. 

Greenbank, it's unlikely I will ever do this as I work from home but it's GENIUS.

Day by day you can move your scrapper closer to the Main Entrance

Good for a secure place to dry your clothes in summer and to have kip at lunch.

I wonder what our policy is on dealing drugs and Ice-cream from the car park is. 

[The Mechanic]

If you look at it from an engineering point of view, what you need to do is to build a steel and expanded medal cage big enough for all the bikes with a controlled key system entry.  Site security could keep an eye on it during the day and monotor entry/exit at opeing and closing times.  This would be quite cheap to build as all you need is a concrete base, some steel and a welder.

[Greenbank]

Greenbank, it's unlikely I will ever do this as I work from home but it's GENIUS.

Can't take credit for it though, I think it was Mr T. Grinder who first suggested it on here.