Police bring undercover cyclist operation to Arbroath

[Cudzoziemiec]

I think in an urban situation, "where can I leave my bike?" is a big question for many people. Obviously, it doesn't address traffic fear, hills, weather, silly clothes, but I'd note that the racks in locations where people go anyway are usually fairly busy and usually used by People In Normal Clothes Who Don't Display Visible Signs of Excessive Fitness Or Nerdiness.

I'd also note that "where can I park my car?" is a major anxiety for many drivers. When most of central Bristol, including the streets around Cudzo Towers, became residents parking zones a few years ago, the inevitable squeals of protest were accompanied by some genuine change in commuting patterns: some people just stumped up for commercial parking, but others started busing, training, walking or, yes, cycling, and some brave souls even gave up their jobs.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Train stations seem to be getting reasonably good at this

The cynic in me says because it's much easier than providing decent cycle space on trains, but it's all good.

True, and sadly I don't see any improvement on that front. But station cycle parking (probably car parking too) isn't only used by passengers.

[grams]

Promising to e.g. double cycle parking is an easy and cheap way to puff up a franchise bid.

And so is car parking. Basically anything that doesn't involve (shudder) improving trains.

[ian]

There's little more discouraging to the urban cyclist than a rack that looks like it was made out of coathanger stuffed into a piss-smelling secluded gap around a corner with the dismembered rusting corpses of the last couple of bikes to be parked and abandoned there and a couple of sawn-off or otherwise cut locks littering the ground.

[Kim]

There's little more discouraging to the urban cyclist than a rack that looks like it was made out of coathanger stuffed into a piss-smelling secluded gap around a corner with the dismembered rusting corpses of the last couple of bikes to be parked and abandoned there and a couple of sawn-off or otherwise cut locks littering the ground.

The only thing worse is the retail park where the cycle parking opportunities are limited to a lamp post of a diameter larger that your D-lock between 4 parked cars, a few anorexic saplings and the ankle-height anti-trolley-bash railing around the shop entrance.

[grams]

Or supermarkets that consider the lovely bike racks by the front door the perfect place to display their gardening and flowers range.

[Kim]

Or supermarkets that consider the lovely bike racks by the front door the perfect place to display their gardening and flowers range.

Or to put the covid queue.

[Pingu]

Or place racks right up against a wall.

[ian]

The little Tesco I used to live near put the cycle racks in the disabled parking space (well, in such a position you couldn't use them without having half your bike in the parking space).

Moot anyway, as there would always be Zepplinic wankertanker already parked in it.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yeah, it takes the Germans to get it right!

[TimC]

Or place racks right up against a wall.

Yes, we've got that problem with the racks the council has just installed. Fortunately, they've seen the sense in our protests and will move them.

[The Family Cyclist]

Well seems to be true. The lidl we use has a good row right outside the windows by the tills
Yeah, it takes the Germans to get it right!

[nuttycyclist]

Or place racks right up against a wall.

Yes, we've got that problem with the racks the council has just installed. Fortunately, they've seen the sense in our protests and will move them.

Those racks are ok.  The sign on the wall clearly says it is for children's bikes only.

[TimC]

Haha! That's the sign for the LBS next door (The Pedal House).

[spesh]

Or place racks right up against a wall.

Yes, we've got that problem with the racks the council has just installed. Fortunately, they've seen the sense in our protests and will move them.

Hopefully, they'll also mount them in their new location more securely than shown in the picture - looking at the full-size picture in another tab, they appear to be merely screwed to the wooden planters.

[Kim]

Still slightly more screwed down than some of Tesco's offerings:

[cygnet]

I think in an urban situation, "where can I leave my bike?" is a big question for many people.
....
I'd also note that "where can I park my car?" is a major anxiety for many drivers.

Clipped for brevity

I think the drivers (no pun intended) for cycle parking and car parking are different.
For car drivers it's "can I find a parking space"
For cyclists it's "is it safe to leave my bike here"

Sadly the negative solutions are:

I will park further away/not go because I don't feel safe walking a longer distance/via a different situation; or

I won't travel by bike, 'caus it might get nicked. Hence I will travel by car, (or public transport if convenient)

Sometimes the concern "Is it safe to leave my bike here" might coincide with "Is it safe to leave my car here" but I suspect this doesn't appear in most people's transport risk profile.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yeah, it takes the Germans to get it right!

Well seems to be true. The lidl we use has a good row right outside the windows by the tills

That's where they are in my nearest Lidl too, as well as the Aldi that's just a minute off the cycle path (the old railway line).

[Cudzoziemiec]

I think the drivers (no pun intended) for cycle parking and car parking are different.
For car drivers it's "can I find a parking space"
For cyclists it's "is it safe to leave my bike here"

By and large a good summary.

Hence wheelbenders left empty while sheffield stands are full, and the sheffields in an obvious location being full while those round the corner in a dark spot are avoided.

(As for motorists not going cos they don't feel safe walking a longer distance, in the specific example of the commuters to bristol city centre offices the nearest you could now get free on-street parking is sufficiently far away that virtually no one is going to walk regardless of how safe they feel; they'd park and get the bus onwards.)

[ian]

I don't think the supermarkets in our town have any dedicated cycle parking (there's three Sheffield stands hidden down a side street, and another couple semi-close to Morrisons, though outside their car parking). There's a few Sheffield stands on the platform inside the station. To be fair though, it's a valley bottom, with a (very) steep and immediately rise either side, so cycling is always going to be a minority pursuit unless you live along the valley bottom corridor. There's usually a number of bikes in the train station, so I guess some people do use a bike, but you still wouldn't run out of fingers and toes counting them.

[TimC]

Or place racks right up against a wall.

Yes, we've got that problem with the racks the council has just installed. Fortunately, they've seen the sense in our protests and will move them.

Hopefully, they'll also mount them in their new location more securely than shown in the picture - looking at the full-size picture in another tab, they appear to be merely screwed to the wooden planters.

Those planters weigh a ton! But the rails will be bolted to the ground when the position is finalised.

[PhilO]

Those planters weigh a ton! But the rails will be bolted to the ground when the position is finalised.

TBH, I don't think security is particularly compromised by the 'toast rack' not being bolted down. A thief is unlikely to pick up the whole rack and put it in the back of a van with the bikes still attached.  Theft/vandalism of the rack during the hours of darkness, OTOH... 

It probably varies with the layout of where you're shopping, but for me cycle parking on the High Street should be little-and-often, not big bike racks. If I'm in town, I'm likely to be visiting several shops, and want to be able to pop my shopping in the pannier outside each one, then push the bike to the next shop, re-lock it and go in.  That both makes it more convenient and addresses some security concerns since the bike will be more visible and not left unattended for so long.  A Cyclehoop or similar on each and every lamp post is much better than a set of Sheffield Stands in those circumstances.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yes, good point. But will the cyclehoop cope with different sizes and shapes of bike? And it does depend on having pavements wide enough to accommodate lamp posts and bikes and people, which certainly isn't the case in our high street.

[nuttycyclist]

I'm the same in little and often, but I don't need a cycle hoop on a lamp post as I use the lamp post itself.

[TimC]

Those planters weigh a ton! But the rails will be bolted to the ground when the position is finalised.

TBH, I don't think security is particularly compromised by the 'toast rack' not being bolted down. A thief is unlikely to pick up the whole rack and put it in the back of a van with the bikes still attached.  Theft/vandalism of the rack during the hours of darkness, OTOH... 

It probably varies with the layout of where you're shopping, but for me cycle parking on the High Street should be little-and-often, not big bike racks. If I'm in town, I'm likely to be visiting several shops, and want to be able to pop my shopping in the pannier outside each one, then push the bike to the next shop, re-lock it and go in.  That both makes it more convenient and addresses some security concerns since the bike will be more visible and not left unattended for so long.  A Cyclehoop or similar on each and every lamp post is much better than a set of Sheffield Stands in those circumstances.

I'm not sure why Suffolk decided to procure these 'toast racks', but they have used them in a few places now so I guess they got a bulk deal. When we were consulted about the positioning of parking, we were assuming a couple of Sheffield stands in each location; we didn't anticipate getting enough capacity to park the entire TdF! As you can imagine, that's caused some comments... But in general, they've gone down ok.