Cycle facilities at train stations

[mumbo jumbo]

A couple of years ago I participated in the CTC survey of cycle provision at railway stations. I was mildly chuffed when 5 rentable bike lockers suddenly appeared by the ticket office at my local station (Yardley Wood). Rent is £10 per year - bargain!

I had to take the train to work today. Only one of the 5 boxes had a bike in it. 3 bikes were locked to a railing. This was, in fact, the first time I've seen a bike in any of the lockers! I didn't have time to go back in the ticket office to find out more hard stats about usage but it got me thinking. If this kind of pattern is played out consistently across the network, are we using up our goodwill with the network operators who may think they've gone to a lot of time and expense for not a lot in the way of usage?

Is this an isolated case or have others seen the same?

mj

 

[spandex]

I do not think that there is any at York train station. But there is loads of bike racks most of witch are full of old bikes that have been there for years!

 

[Morrisette]

Cambridge station has thousands of bikes! No lockers though - and the few 'secure' for-hire stands are not used - people won't pay to park a bike, is my theory, when you can do it free.

 

[ChrisKH]

My local station, one of the busiest non-terminal stations on the Fenchurch Street line paid a substantial amount of money putting in a separate bike park with what can best be described as metal "bannisters" (the sort of thing you would see a horse tethered to in a western film at the front of a saloon). Unfortunately it doesn't seem they ever consulted as the park is hidden behind the car park and has no obvious security (e.g. cameras). Being out of eye contact and a real pleasure for thieves to steal from it is never used. Instead cyclists park out of the front of the station and lock their bikes up against railings. I reckon 25-30 bikes park there a day. There are more places to lock the bike further from the station, again put in at great cost I suspect, but because of the proximity and lack of cameras this is where theft is more prevalent.

Poor planning and no real security. Is it any wonder people don't want to cycle?

 

[Morrisette]

They are on about (have been for years) doing a revamp of the area at the front of Cam station, this will involve a lot more cycle parking, which on the face of it sounds good, but in the plans I have seen it will either be the bottom floor of a multi-storey car park, or else a stand-alone 2-floor structure. There are already a couple of cycle parks on the basement level of multi-storeys around Cambridge, and they are only usable in daylight hours, after dark they are dank, creepy, full of dim corners and blind bends, in other words a theif/mugger/rapists paradise. I REALLY hope the credit crunch scuppers these plans - even though the provision now is not great, at least I as a lone female can use it at night.

 

[yorkshiregoth]

Not on a station but very close to Chiswick Park station, behind Sainsbury's there are about 20 or so blue cycle lockers. I have no idea who maintains them but I have never seen them used.

 

[Danny]

I do not think that there is any at York train station. But there is loads of bike racks most of witch are full of old bikes that have been there for years!

Actually, the old abandoned bikes were recently cleared out after protests from regular users, and donated to a local organisation that refurbishes old cycles.So now there are spaces for something like 150 bikes, and most of them are full by 8:30.

Oddly, some of the abandoned bikes were pretty good and I often wonder what happened to the owners.

 

[domd1979]

Agree that signage would be useful... But, it doesn't stop anyone just going in the ticket office and asking what the score is.

I think one of the problems is that they're not signed properly. These ones have no instructions at all about how to get a key etc.

 

[spandex]

Actually, the old abandoned bikes were recently cleared out after protests from regular users, and donated to a local organisation that refurbishes old cycles.So now there are spaces for something like 150 bikes, and most of them are full by 8:30.

Oddly, some of the abandoned bikes were pretty good and I often wonder what happened to the owners.

Good point I had forgot that Bike Rescue had got them. Your right haw can you forget that you have a bike?

or maybe It is just a dumping ground for unwanted bikes!

 

[summerdays]

Your right haw can you forget that you have a bike?

A friend of mine went out partying one night and took his bike to get there... he drank lots and couldn't remember where he left the bike (he assumed/hoped he locked it up). He never found it again despite looking in various places.

 

[ufkacbln]

That is because the system was a total conand avoided what cyclists really wanted....

A bike locker in most cases the last thing!

VEry few people work at the station - we want to cyce to our work place!

Cycle commuters want bikes on the train not parked at the station. The solution (I wa told) was to cycle to station A - leave bike and use the train. Then have another bike or use a bus at the other end!

Scrap the parking investment and invest in cycle carriage the compaanies should have provided in the first place

 

[Tony]

That is because the system was a total conand avoided what cyclists really wanted....

A bike locker in most cases the last thing!

VEry few people work at the station - we want to cyce to our work place!

Cycle commuters want bikes on the train not parked at the station. The solution (I wa told) was to cycle to station A - leave bike and use the train. Then have another bike or use a bus at the other end!

Scrap the parking investment and invest in cycle carriage the compaanies should have provided in the first place

Beat me to it.....

 

[ufkacbln]

Beat me to it.....

Your turn next?

 

[spandex]

A friend of mine went out partying one night and took his bike to get there... he drank lots and couldn't remember where he left the bike (he assumed/hoped he locked it up). He never found it again despite looking in various places.

If that was me I would of walked down every street to find it and maybe got some friends to help.

 

[Tony]

Your turn next?

Well, I'll just add the bike ban on many London and other trains just at the time one would want to be using them.