July '01 - Text of Cycle Parking submission to City Manager

Re: City Manager's report on redevelopment of Westside Shopping Centre, planning application 858/00

FAO: Mr. John Tierney

City Manager

Dear Sir

On behalf of the committee we note with interest your comments regarding cycle parking at the above development and would like to make the following observations.

Factors Governing the Installation of Cycle Parking

Location

• Cyclists prefer locations for parking their bicycles that are situated close to their intended destination. Bicycle parking facilities should be sited as near as possible to the most frequented destinations of cyclists. A survey conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory (UK) on cyclists who parked informally was used to investigate supply and demand for cycle parking. When asked why they had chosen to park their bicycle where they had, 86% of cyclists responded by saying that it was close to their intended destination, while 75% of the informally parked cyclists did so because the location was within 50m of that destination. Attached is a copy of a US bike-parking standard, which recommends that parking should be placed within 50 feet of the entrance to the destination. In other words the destination(s) here are not the building but the main entrance(s) of the shops. Thus any cycle parking should ideally be adjacent to main doors. Cycle parking that is placed at inappropriate locations will simply not be used by the majority of cyclists and is a waste of money.

Security
  • Security also influences the chosen location. A second factor that was discovered in the Transport Research Laboratory’s survey was that cyclists choice of location for parking their bike was influenced by security concerns. 52% of cyclists on shopping errands stated that they would not leave their bikes for more than two hours unattended, while this figure was as high as 77% among commuters and people on educational trips. Therefore from this point of view cycle stands should be located in easily observable, well supervised, well trafficked and populated areas near the amenity that they are serving. If possible parking should also be weather protected. Again, cyclists will simply ignore parking placed at obscure or isolated locations.

Inappropriate and non-standard parking designs.
  • The use of non-standard and inappropriate parking designs should be avoided. Inappropriate designs include "wheel gripper" type racks, or designs using concrete slots. It is the longstanding position of the Galway Cycling Campaign that any wheel gripper type parking should be removed from the city. A bicycle parked and locked via the front wheel is highly vulnerable to damage. The slightest unbalancing of the locked bicycle can lead to warping or other damage to the front wheel. In terms of security, wheel gripper racks do not permit bicycles to be locked via the frame using the standard shackle type lock. Any bicycle that is locked only via the front wheel is extremely liable to theft and vandalism. In fact, the locking of a bicycle in such a manner could be said to invite theft or malicious damage. Experienced cyclists make a point of never using this type of parking device, and will simply use the nearest lamppost or lock their bikes "sideways on". Thus the main users of this type of rack are inexperienced cyclists, including motorists who may have just decided to try cycling. It is these newcomers to cycling who most suffer from theft and vandalism where this type of parking facility is installed. This results in such people abandoning cycling as a transportation option. Thus, the installation of wheel gripper stands is directly at odds with the stated intention of encouraging more cycling in the city.
  • Other non-standard designs: Recently Galway Corporation installed parking of a non-standard design on Mainguard St., Quay St., and at Spanish Arch. These have also been found to unsuitable. It has been found that the design does not support locked bikes, which simply fall over. In addition the access officer of the Galway City Partnership has inspected the design and found it to be a trip hazard to pedestrians (as are the fallen bikes).

Standard Design Specifications Governing Short Term Parking Facilities.

• Sheffield stands are the design of choice. The Sheffield stand is the preferred type of cycle rack according to both the National Cycle Network (UK) and the cyclists surveyed by the Transport Research Laboratory (UK). These have also been employed at the University of Limerick, Dublin City University, and Dublin Corporation. These ideally should consist of an inverted U- shaped bar, which enables both the frame and wheels to be locked securely. The stands should be 75cm above the ground and 75cm wide, spaced at 1m intervals. The stands could either be set individually 25cms into the ground or welded together on long rows known as toaster racks. A space of 1.8m should be left at either end of each set of parking facilities (a set of specifications is attached, for two different designs one from the UK and one from the US).

• Where Sheffield stands are inappropriate wall bars or hitching rings might be employed instead. In such locations as alongside a building or wall the following parking facilities might be employed instead of a Sheffield stand. One option is the wall bar, and this should consist of closely set bar set onto the wall at 75cm above the ground and U-shaped. The second option is a hitching ring facility and this again should again be set at 75cm above the ground and consist of a large looped ring hinged onto a wall setting (see attached leaflet: Cycling in Galway: A Guide for Businesses and Employers). The latter facility might work well at places of scenic or historical interest where a wall bar might be considered out of place. Alternatively, a cycle parking sign could be used to denote features such as railings (in particular the railings around shopping trolley storage points) or tree guards which might be used for locking bikes onto.

• The location of bicycle parking facilities should take pedestrians such as the visually impaired into consideration. This means that cycle parking like car parking will tend to be "on street" at most locations. In areas, where cycle stands are to be located on pavements or in pedestrianised areas, such facilities should be positioned so as to avoid the inside of the footpath which would be used by the visually impaired. Cycle stands could be placed between parking meters or rubbish bins alongside the road, so as to avoid the sides of buildings which would be used to by the visually impaired for navigation.

Long Term Parking:

Long Term Parking: For employees who use their cycle to commute to work long term parking should be provided, preferably indoors or in a lockable shed. Alternatively covered cycle stands could be considered as an option. The provision of these facilities could involve two way Perspex cabins, which would allow the monitoring of the parked bikes from security check points. Such facilities already exist in Galway at Northern Telecom, Mervue. Other options such as bike lockers could also be considered if there is a demand for long-term bike parking.

Attachments

Please find attached design specs for cycle parking from both the US and the UK and copies of our leaflet Cycling in Galway: A Guide for Employers and Businesses. Please also find attached a specimen quotation from Cavanagh Street furniture, Roscrea, Co, Tipperary for the production of Sheffield Stands to a range of standards (Cavanagh are suppliers to Dublin Corporation). It should be noted however that the engineering required is not complex and could be done by anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of bend allowances and access to a basic workshop.

Yours Sincerely