Bike shed/hangar in Lordship Lane - looking for people to apply with me.

[Lordship_local]

Anyone got any clever ideas for storing a bike indoors without causing a mess if it's raining/muddy?

Probably better to go to a landlord with a plan in case they worry about their carpets. I can't think of anything other than getting some carpet shampoo and hoping for the best.

[first mate]

How about a bike bag that you pop your bike into into before entering your property? Obviously much easier with a folding bike and most of those have bags designed just for that purpose. Folding bikes are probably an ideal solution for most city dwellers and help solve the potential theft issue as you can take them just about anywhere.

[Lordship_local]

Thanks, I'll look into that! Seems they are called 'bike bras'

[maria]

Just by way of an update the D lock was cut off using an angle grinder so someone targeting the local area and more locked bikes being reported as stolen.

maria Wrote:

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> Just to say they aren't that safe and my partners

> bike was stolen from the one on Crawthew Grove

> near the Bishop. Lock busted plus bike D locked!

[LumpenProle]

I have an excellent landlord (how often do you hear that?!), and it would not be wise to ruin our relationship over bike parking. The argument is one of safety and exiting the building in an emergency in the dark,and to be frank, they have a point.

first mate Wrote:

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> Perhaps the Council can under emergency powers

> find a way to intervene with Landlords if they are

> not being reasonable in meeting the needs of cycle

> owning tenants. Folding cycles are also a great

> solution as they are easily stored inside the

> home.

[first mate]

Hi, I understand. I will only say that a folding bike is very easily stored and some take up very little room and can be assembled and packed down in a minute. I said in another post, they can be stored in a bag, which gets over the mud and dirt aspect.

It seems crazy to spend ?5,000 public money on a hangar if, as seems now to be the case, they are so very easily broken into. Perhaps the council needs to look at a different model or work with the company on security.Since there is this issue I doubt insurance would cover theft from a hangar either.

[Sally Eva]

Talk to your neighbours and your local councillors about your wish/need for a bike hangar. You should also put your request in by email to [email protected] as they are supposed to maintain a list of interested people and prioritise installations based on demand.

In the autumn, you can apply directly for a hangar to be installed via the Cleaner Greener Safer fund.

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/engagement-and-consultations/grants-and-funding/cleaner-greener-safer

This is where it is useful to attach a list of neighbours who would like to take up a space in a hangar and/or don't have a car so can 'offer' the space outside their house as suitable. There is a question asking you to show support for your idea - that can be that list of neighbours, and also if you can say 'I've spoken to Cllr xxx and they support the idea' that's useful too.

You can remind your councillors of the need to get pollution down, and how many people could cycle instead if they had a space for a bike... There's also a consultation that's just closed about community funds. You can see proposals, but can't add to them

https://ryelanecilmap.commonplace.is/comments/5ecd6392035e28d02fe349c4

https://champcambgiles.commonplace.is/comments/5ed38b155958687ad1fab413

[first mate]

Hi Sally,

Are these hangars now secure then?

[maria]

Some no have added security around the kick but if you have an angle grinder then you could get in!

[Sally Eva]

Bike Parking can get quite obsessive. This is a webinar on bike parking mentioning most of the things we have discussed on this thread https://mailchi.mp/44957671bfdc/the-green-transport-recovery-series-3rd-july-cycle-parking-a-network-planning-approach-book-now?e=39cadde78f

It's free and this is the general approach:

Quality cycle parking is key to enabling more people to cycle. A bike is an important asset, a key mode of transport, and cyclists need to know that their bikes are safe and secure. The objective of cycle network planning is to make sure that every cycle trip starts and ends with a safe place to park.

Insufficient cycle parking, lack of convenience, lack of space to store a cycle at home and cycle theft and vandalism are cited as key barriers for potential cyclists.

[first mate]

Indeed. Just query the wisdom of spending on hangars that are clearly not secure. I keep saying folders are a great option!

[Abe_froeman]

Would ?5000 cover the cost of a boris bike station instead?

[Sally Eva]

first mate Wrote:

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> Indeed. Just query the wisdom of spending on

> hangars that are clearly not secure. I keep saying

> folders are a great option!

I found my folding bike much nicer than I expected and, as you say, it is amazingly useful to be able to take it on trains etc. Oddly, I find it hard to park and leave. And also hard to carry. I can't carry it far or easily. I'm not sure I could climb station steps with it. When I have tried to fold and leave it somewhere I have found it wedged into a corner from which it's hard to extricate it. So taking it into a theatre would probably be difficult and unpopular but leaving it outside problematic.

I've also got a non-folding bike and I tend to use that when I haven't got a rail-assisted journey, which might be a subliminal preference or might be just habit. This seems reasonably even-handed: https://bicycle2work.com/are-folding-bikes-worth-it-pros-cons/

[first mate]

I certainly think for many older people carrying a folder is tricky but for young, fit people, perhaps more of whom might be flat dwellers, the folder is perfect for commuting and can be taken into the office or home. I have found it easy to take into most leisure facilities and, as you say, also great on public transport.

Agree, no good to leave chained as easily stolen, but then that seems to be the case with many half decent bikes and I don?t think we should invest public money in storage unless we are very confident they are secure. It is not as though the council has loads of dosh to spare. I would personally prefer to see that money spent on mending dangerous, uneven pavements and pot holes in roads.

Finally, it seems no money has been spent on social distancing by foot- a much more urgent consideration right now.

[Abe_froeman]

It's too late to spend money on social distancing now. Lockdown has been and gone.

It seems a bit dim though that the council would spend thousands of pounds on these storage facilities for a privileged few and then claim there is no cash left to help finance the bike hire stations that every other zone 2 borough in London seems to benefit from/.

[exdulwicher]

Would ?5000 cover the cost of a boris bike station instead?

The system is owned by TfL (although obviously with engagement with councils) and a lot of the direct day-to-day management (maintenance and re-location of bikes for example) is outsourced to Serco.

Depending on location, installation requirements etc, it's about ?200,000 to install a docking station.

There's also the need to consider the overall network. Fairly pointless installing a single docking station in (say) Dulwich Village - you'd want a couple in Dulwich Park (say one at Court Lane entrance, one at College Road entrance), one in the village, one up by Dulwich Library, three or four down the length of Lordship Lane, one each at ND and ED stations....

And then they'd need to link up with the next available docking points which are Brixton / Stockwell and up the Walworth Road, all of which are a reasonable distance away. So you'd probably need some "linking" docking points in Herne Hill, southern Camberwell / Denmark Hill and so on to tie it into the remaining network.

[Abe_froeman]

So the same price as the raise table at the end of north cross road and not much more than the new road closures.

They should do it.

They put one outside the council offices on Tooley St. They should put some in here.