You actually can park bikes to almost the same density without the need for great effort to lift the bikes up, nor great height (nearly 3 metres) to fit in the units.
For this you use the units, popular in countries where there is intensive cycle use, where the cycle is positively located as well as locked in the stand for example the Beta (Orion) and the Tulip (Autopa). With these racks bikes can be parked in a double sided unit at spacings of 20cm or less, and still individually retrievable. These systems have the benefit of having no moving parts and some are modular - making up a large installation from a kit of parts. (26 bikes fit on a space 3m x 5m)
http://www.orion-bausysteme.de/de/fahrradstaender-beta/beta-xxl
However the 2-tier rack has become the must have and in response, every UK 'tin basher' making steel products is having a go at making the cheapest possible offering to win business. Some obviously look at the established designs and make faithful copies, but others reckon to know better when developing the specification.
On particular product, made in Kent, gained notoriety at Sevenoaks both in the quality of the product and the quality of the installation. The hot dip galvanising was clearly for the shortest dip-time possible, and soon showed rust spots, the nylon rollers split and seized, and the minimal welding sheared causing the upper trays to snap off. Units were not properly levelled or braced, which when combined with the lack of a positive latching detent created a results like this :
and from the Kent manufacturer - in Glasgow
https://www.flickr.com/photos/h52/20146426334/in/dateposted-public/
A gust of wind, dropping one tray (heavy and with no counterbalance position) or catching an adjacent bike at the upper level (easy with these racks that don't properly support the bikes), and the domino effect sends upper trays crashing down. In Sevenoaks at least two people received head injuries when this happened as they were reaching down to get bikes out below. Local cyclists prepared a report on this and I have a big file of pictures of sagging, snapped and badly assembled racks.
Cheap racks also fail to let the rack & bike slide easily up and use the bike's own weight to counterbalance and easily lift & roll into place, making the effort of putting the bik in the upper tray and lifting it in to place something only a relatively strong & tall person can manage.
Please do encourage people to a) get advice and b) use suppliers with proven products to avoid potential disasters like these.
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