Disabled parking for cyclists

[Cudzoziemiec]

Just came across this, in a roundabout way:
https://twitter.com/BicycleDutch/status/999214463839502336



Parking reserved for disabled cyclists.

It may seem strange, at first, to have handicapped bike parking places, but many people can cycle much better than they can walk. It makes sense to have them park nearer to where they need to be.

Good idea. And maybe some sort of blue badge scheme for cycling to give official recognition of its use as a mobility aid?

[Kim]

Absolutely.  The lack of anything secure to lock to seems odd to my BRITISH sensibilities, and ideally one or more of the spaces should be wide enough for tricycles, but I've seen how big dutch cycle parking facilities can be, and it makes perfect sense to provide dedicated parking near the whatever for the walking-impaired cyclists.

I think a blue badge scheme has some merit, in the absence of general recognition of cycles as mobility aids.  (Which would be preferable, because many people don't want to think of themselves as disabled.  See the Dutch phenomenon of people wheeling bikes around that they haven't been able to ride for years because that doesn't come with the same loss of dignity as using traditional mobility aids.)

UK law is interesting, in that the definition of a manual wheelchair (Class 1 Invalid Carriage) would include any non-motorised^[1] cycle that has been designed or adapted for use by a disabled person.  Which means that a disabled person should be within their rights to cycle on the pavement etc. as long as their cycle has a crutch holder / adapted pedals / modified brake levers / whatever.  I don't think there's any case law, thobut.


_{[1] As soon as you put a motor on it, it either has to be a Class 2 or 3 Invalid Carriage (mobility scooter) or a Pedelec (e-bike), else it's a motor vehicle by default.}

[Cudzoziemiec]

I assumed the lack of things to lock to (what's the Dutch for "Sheffield"? ) was because people might be using trikes etc. Maybe box-bikes and so on. But maybe it's just a Dutch assumption that all bikes have horseshoe locks and stands. Or it could be that the whole thing is brand new – it does look a bit new in the photo. Or it could be that, even in Dutch Netherlands, cycling disabled people get a little bit less consideration. Or something else entirely.

[quixoticgeek]

My guess, as a local(ish), is that it's actually inside a locked building with some other access control. Probably employer provided parking spaces.

Having something to lock a bike to is not always as common as you would think, many a row of shops will have as it's bike parking a square of pavement with some paint on it. If you're only stopping for 10 mins, most people just use the nurses lock.

Despite spending €200 on bike locks, I've yet to find the courage to actually lock my bike up in Amsterdam. At work I keep it in the Nuclear bunker in the basement, and at home, I'm not telling.

J

[Cudzoziemiec]

There's a post office logo on the wall on the left and a parcel on the floor, so maybe it's inside a post office. OTOH the wall at the back doesn't look like it's indoors, unless maybe it's a basement.

[quixoticgeek]

There's a post office logo on the wall on the left and a parcel on the floor, so maybe it's inside a post office. OTOH the wall at the back doesn't look like it's indoors, unless maybe it's a basement.

The lighting is indoor fluorescent lighting... I'd say it's a basement.

I believe the PostNL thing on the left is a postnl drop point. Many larger companies here have something similar, booking.com's offices even have amazon lockers in the reception area, paid for by the company, as it's cheaper than having someone walk round the office and deliver everyone's post.

J

[Charlie Polecat]

The shadows on the floor from the bikes would suggest fluorescent lighting on the wall above the handicap signs, so indoors it seems and no visible signs - to me anyway - that the bikes have locks on them which might suggest a secure space. 

[quixoticgeek]

The shadows on the floor from the bikes would suggest fluorescent lighting on the wall above the handicap signs, so indoors it seems and no visible signs - to me anyway - that the bikes have locks on them which might suggest a secure space.

The bike to the right of the disabled spaces has a nurses lock fitted, and locked...

J