Subscribe to RSSWhere’s Cycle ‘n’ Ride?
Anyone else noticed how many bikes are popping up at train stations chained to whatever anyone can find?
They seem to be growing in number -and there would be more if only there were bike racks.
There are only a few places to actually chain them apart from timetable notices.
Cycle ‘n; Ride makes sense for a lot of cyclists because of the effort in trying to get a bike on a train at peak time - or because you don’t necessary want to wander around, say, the CBD with a bike but you need a bike to get to the station.
Because of funding cutbacks or lack of foresight or both , cycle racks seemed to miss out aty some stations so we now have a ridiculously inconsistent policy.
Some have racks, some don’t. Avondale was one new platform that sadly missed out in the end and usually has bikes chained at it during the day.
This bike was chained at Morningside this morning.
Places like Newmarket and New Lynn got them but often it feels a token number as there are not enough:
New Lynn transport hub has bike racks
Manurewa bike lockers
Devonport has a few spaces in its terminal.
And places like Ellerslie and Manurewa actually have a few lockable areas.
But we need a consistent policy and one that is serious about catering for cycling.
10 Comments
Cycle racks are cheep, Why not have them at as many stations as possible.
I agree, they cost next to nothing and should be installed as per default.
The bike lockers are bit of overkill to be honest….
there is the same problem with Wellingtons Network. I was on the trains 3 days ago with my sister who lives in Upper Hutt and she was saying that the cycle stands on these stations are very lacking. She says that Stuart (my brother-in-law) uses his bike often but can’t use it to commute to the station which is just 1.5kms away dring the summer months. Along the Hutt Valley Line I only saw bike stands at Waterloo and Petone.
And I agree with rtc that the cycle lockers is just overkill.
While I have never had any security issues with my bike i can see that the full lockers serve a purpose.
Its a bit of a pain to strip lights etc off a bike each day. In a high risk location it is a good idea to lock both wheels and the frame. This can take a little while (and sometimes require removing a wheel)
Now that they sell battery powered angle grinders all locks can be defeated in seconds anyway if the area is deserted.
The locker definitely provides additional peace of mind.
Plus they keep bikes dry
I think they are a good idea in high risk locations. Of course standard racks are desired too for casual users.
Many bike users have no problem chaining there bike to a light post or railing if there are no racks.
Amsterdam is a high risk city for bike theft and people get along fine without those huge boxes. Install a wheel lock at the back that slides through the wheel - hard to describe but common in Europe - and chain the front wheel to the frame and to a post. Works well. If you have lights then clip them off when you leave the bike.
I agree the lockers would be good for peace of mind, but if it’s a case of 1 locker or several stands at a bunch of stations then the latter is clearly going to be more effective at encouraging people to commute by bike.
In Amsterdam I noted when there that with so many bikes they were locked to almost every vertical post or railing in town!
In NZ (and Aus.) the helmet law is a big deterrent as far as utility cycling is concerned and bike hire will never work here for the same reason. Ironically, cyclists today hit their helmets far more than they hit their heads before helmet use was made compulsory.
“I agree, they cost next to nothing and should be installed as per default.”
Sadly, many retrofits cost thousands of dollars each rack, because Councils insist on technical reports (and sometimes even consulatation) before they will add stands in locations where there are none.
“bike hire will never work here for the same reason.”
Bike hire IS already working here. Its Auckland City Council that prevented NextBike, Auckland’s public bike hire company, from expanding their operations, not lack of customer demand. I do agree the helmet law doesn’t help, though.
I think the bicycle lockers are necessary, and I would happily pay a couple of dollars a day to use them. There should be some for casual use as well as for the current system, as in Wellington, of booking them. And they should be at all stations. Plus many stands, as in the picture at New Lynn above, for locking bikes against.
If the lockers were able to be put on the back of a truck and redistributed around the network as demand requires then all the better.
Heh. I saw that bike a couple of weeks ago at Morningside - it’s actually something a bit special: a Japanese mamachari city bike, the kind of Jap imports Auckland could actually do with more of.
Shame there’s no provision for locking it up except to that sign. Mind you, Morningside can be so quiet I’d be a bit nervous leaving a bike there for any length of time anyway… probably apt to vanish between morning and afternoon.