Bicyle parking facilities

[ozbob]

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/cycling/bike-parking/index.htm

Please share photographs and information on bicycle parking facilities.

Mount Ommaney







Photographs Golliwog 13th February 2011

[#Metro]

I have one criticism of these facilities (seen the Garden City and West End ones)- they are almost always nearly empty.

Bicycle parking should be integrated with GoCard (get rid of the seperate smartcard for CityCycle, maybe even offload CityCycle to TransLink) OR the doors on these Bicycle cages should be sawn off and made free access. Lots of people would use it if there wasn't this hassle barrier.

[Gazza]

OR the doors on these Bicycle cages should be sawn off and made free access.

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the cages being a secure place to park compared to open air racks?

GoCard integration yes (And hook up CCTV to film whenever the door is opened to catch anyone with ill intentions), but sawing off the door...silly!

[#Metro]

Roll Eyes Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the cages being a secure place to park compared to open air racks?

GoCard integration yes (And hook up CCTV to film whenever the door is opened to catch anyone with ill intentions), but sawing off the door...silly!

No. By definition the bike cage is not serving its purpose simply because there are no bikes in it! That is a lot of money and infrastructure for almost zero benefit. The one at West End Ferry has an unsecured bicycle rack immediately outside the bicycle cage, and it is well used and often full with bicycles. At the same time usually there is one or zero bicycles actually inside the cage.

So I am confirmed in my view that access is the problem.

By simply cutting off the door- a simple and quick procedure that is ridiculously cheap and could be done within 30 minutes, that infrastructure could actually be used! No it won't be secure as a vault cage, but yes it will finally function as proper bicycle parking
for everybody. Bicycles get stolen all the time, it is a fact of life.

Cut off the door!!!  

[Golliwog]

I get your point TT, but I think there is a need to have the security there for those that want it. Although they should work on a deal with Translink to be able to use go cards, or I don't know, have them more available. If you could get an access card from a council library that would be useful (especially for the Mt Ommaney one, their library is opposite the bus stop in the picture)

[#Metro]

Disagree. This represents large expenditure for the benefit of the few (or none!) to the exclusion of many. There is a large hassle barrier. It is the same for citycycle. The intentions are good but the results are not.

If security is desired, there is already a very effective solution: bicycle U locks. Locking seems to be good enough for citycycle, so are cages with swipe access really needed?

Remove the barriers. Or unlock the door.
If it is that important, they can get a QR style bike box.

Sometime I really wonder- you see it in CityCycle, you see it in rail timetables, you see it in the bicycle cages, there are so many anti-customer and customer-repulsive practices you really have to ask yourself "do they actually want me to use their facilities?". And then they are all wondering "how come nobody is using bikes or catching trains?"  

How popular would carparks be if you had to present yourself at the BCC admin desk, fill out a form, possibly pay a deposit (maybe they have got rid of that), renew each year and get a special card? These are "soft" barriers to entry, and they should go.

And have you seen the excessive rules posted up on the cages. Enough to scare anyone off but the most hardened lawyers IMHO...

BCC should be able to activate GoCard- by my preferred solution is for BCC to simply saw the door off.

[Jonno]

How popular would carparks be if you had to present yourself at the BCC admin desk, fill out a form, possibly pay a deposit (maybe they have got rid of that), renew each year and get a special card? These are "soft" barriers to entry, and they should go.How popular would carparks be if you had to present yourself at the BCC admin desk, fill out a form, possibly pay a deposit (maybe they have got rid of that), renew each year and get a special card? These are "soft" barriers to entry, and they should go.

I agree with TT.  Translink spend millions on car parking and it is free. 50k is spent on cycling facilities and the process to use it is prohibitive and costs money.  It is a double standard of the worst kind.  These facilities should be free and either just open orblinked with Go Card.

[#Metro]

Exactly. You don't see park and ride users filling out forms or getting swipe cards or getting a special locked secure zone for their cars. They just drive straight in!

And cars get stolen from carparks all the time.

[Gazza]

So tramtrain, if people can just use u locks for security and dont care if their bike is exposed (Its not just theft you need to consider, but people kicking spokes, pulling off parts etc),
then why should it matter if they cant access the cycle cage? The cages' presence wont stop them parking in a normal rack as usual.

Locking seems to be good enough for citycycle

Those are specially built bikes that are a bit tougher than your average 'consumer' bike. Eg the locking system is proprietary and the bikes need special tools to be disassembled.

BCC should be able to activate GoCard- by my preferred solution is for BCC to simply saw the door off.

So if go card is activated, then doesn't that solve the "hassle barrier"? After all, if these cycle cages are at PT stops then the people using them would have the card to board the bus/ferry.

[#Metro]

So tramtrain, if people can just use u locks for security and dont care if their bike is exposed (Its not just theft you need to consider, but people kicking spokes, pulling off parts etc),
then why should it matter if they cant access the cycle cage? The cages' presence wont stop them parking in a normal rack as usual.

Um, there probably are no users anyway, so what is the issue here?
The rack at West End is often full and overflowing. The Cage is empty. Often there is just the cage an no other bicycle parking to be seen anywhere near it. I know this is the case for Garden City.


http://changehere.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/amsterdam_bikes.jpg

If it is OK for people parking outside Central Station Amsterdam, why is it not OK for Brisbane?

So if go card is activated, then doesn't that solve the "hassle barrier"? After all, if these cycle cages are at PT stops then the people using them would have the card to board the bus/ferry.

It lowers, but does not eliminate, it. Sawing off a door can be done in 30 minutes flat. Integration with Go Card takes convincing TransLink, tinkering with the IT backend of GoCard etc etc.
Besides, TransLink have no incentive nor interest in integrating the two, for them, it is just not their problem.

[Gazza]

^Then the issue is to make it their problem.

I don't see how sawing off the door would attract any extra cyclists.

[#Metro]

It would increase use, because current use  is zero or close to it, it doesn't really leave much margin for less use does it?
People value utility more than security and that can be seen by the bike cage being empty while the unsecured rack immediately in front
of it (at West End) being full.

* Bike cage is sheltered from the elements, unlike bike racks
* Bike cage is more legible
* No need to fill in forms, visit admin desks or fumble with cards, walk straight in lock and go

All of this will make it much easier to access and use because it lowers the "cost" and administrative burden to a prospective user.
And a lower cost = increase in demand generally speaking.

The door is the barrier along with all the administrative ringmarole.

Yes, dogging TransLink is one option, but this is possible now, is dirt cheap and could be done tomorrow if they wanted to.

[#Metro]

I propose a trial.

For 6 months, the BCC can get cable ties from Bunnings (RRP $10 or so) and tie that door on the cage open.
Then leave it and see if more people use it. This could be implemented tomorrow afternoon if they wanted to...

That will settle the question.