CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Secure & monitored bike parking?

(20 posts)
  • Started 3 years ago by Yodhrin
  • Latest reply from Murun Buchstansangur

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  1. Yodhrin
    Member

    Hello, I'm new around these parts, just got an ebike through the EST loan scheme the other week there and I've been enjoying the exercise more than I thought I would, hah.

    That said, I also hoped to use the bike for practical matters, but I find myself too paranoid about theft to leave it anywhere - I've got the top end Abus bike lock, and until I get a full set of Hexlox I'm using the built in cafe lock to secure the rear wheel and a chain for the front, but I still can't bring myself to leave it alone for anything more than popping in and out of the Post Office and the like. I've seen how easy it is for an angle grinder to go through even the best locks, how brazen thieves can be, and how little the police care.

    Is there any proper parking infrastructure at any of the shopping parks or supermarkets around Edinburgh - places in view of store security and with actual working CCTV cameras watching them - or is it still the case that the best you can hope for are a few Sheffield Stands tucked away in a corner somewhere?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  2. wingpig
    Member

    It's a mix.
    Something like Broughton St Tesco has a few rubbish racks no-one uses out of the way behind the entrance, then a hugely popular wee bus stop with Sheffield stands in view of the entrance, beside the road in and which is in sight of all the cyclists using it, who would hopefully be more likely to say something if they saw anyone using a bottle jack or angle grinder.
    Sheffield stands or cyclehoops on lampposts on busy/narrow footways like Dalry Rd, Nicolson St, Lothian Road are probably relatively safe as there's constant foot-traffic and not much space to start wielding tools.
    Official bike parking at Sainsbury's Craigleith is round a corner from the entrance, possibly covered by cameras, but the trolley-park bars beside the Timpson hut is closer to the entrance/next to a bus stop and feels a bit less remote.
    Morrisons at Piershill/Ferry Road/Granton have rubbish racks overlooked by smoking staff, so are unpleasant to use but possibly always watched. Sainsbury's at Stevenson Drive also puts the Sheffield racks just downwind of staff smoking.
    Asda Newhaven's racks are well away from the entrance but covered by cameras as it's near the staff door.
    Sainsbury's Meadowbank racks are rubbish but anyone trying to steal a chained bike would have to be careful to not end up pinned down by fallen-over bikes.

    I either don't park where I'm not happy and shop elsewhere or just do what I can and hope. You can be quick when getting shopping, but if you ever want to bike to a cinema then you either chain up as securely as possible and trust that the bike will still be there three hours later or chain up securely less nearby and walk a bit or do the last leg on a rental and so on. Don't use drainpipes or railings if at all possible, allow a little shabbiness to creep in, detach and carry your battery if it detaches, check that Sheffield stands are intact and properly bolted/concreted down and generally try and make your particular bike neither the most attractive nor most easily-stolen bike on any particular set of racks.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  3. chdot
    Admin

    Welcome Yodhrin

    And thanks wingpig for comphensive roundup!

    With an increasing number of ebikes around (by definition more expensive than ‘average’ bikes), perhaps now is the time for a campaign about decent secure(ish) bike parking aimed at -

    A) politicians to understand the issues - and especially the way cycle use is actually discouraged

    B) supermarkets. Clearly an increasing number of people want to cycle to shop. Maybe it’s time to have a large area closest to the main door that is suitable for cargo bikes (some are quite BIG…) PLUS CCTV AND signs saying ‘monitored CCTV watches these bikes’ (or something).

    C) Police Scotland. Part of the organisation ’cares’ - periodically does postcode marking and gives away locks, but (seems) not so great at solving bike crime or reuniting recovered bikes with owners. Obviously for that to happen, people need to report them and describe them well. DO YOU KNOW YOUR FRAME NUMBER(S)??

    Posted 3 years ago #

  4. Yodhrin
    Member

    Thanks indeed, that's very helpful wingpig. Alas I do think I've somewhat spoiled myself by watching so many BicycleDutch youtube videos while excitedly waiting for the EST's paperwork to go through :P

    As to your points chdot, I hate to be a pessimist but I suspect the only one of those that might have a chance of working is lobbying supermarkets. Politicians generally understand the issues perfectly well and choose inaction regardless for the sake of personal or party advantage.

    As for convincing the police to care about bike theft, that would require convincing them to care about theft in general - property crime investigations consume a lot of time and resources and are rarely solved, so anything more than a performative attempt at doing so will tank their performance statistics and divert resources away from solving things the newspapers are more likely to shout at them about. Best you can hope for is someone steals your bike from you in person at knifepoint, then it's armed robbery and they'll have a proper crack at it.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    I don’t disagree with your pessimism, however my point is that with an increasing number of more expensive (notably electric) bikes being bought, now is probably a good time to highlight concerns/opportunities.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  6. acsimpson
    Member

    I take the view a lot of the time that a bike lock's greatest use is to validate an insurance policy. A better bike lock along with following many of the tips given here and elsewhere will decrease the chances of having to make a claim but sadly some people will always be willing to harm others in this way.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  7. Yodhrin
    Member

    If I have to rely on the insurance policy then I simply won't - mine does cover the bike even outside the home, but the excess is enough that I'd only be getting about ~70% of the sticker price back and I'm on the hook for the four years of the loan scheme whether I can afford to replace the bike or not.

    I'll probably stick to using it for quick trips and exercise only unless there's some improvement in facilities tbh, not worth the risk.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  8. neddie
    Member

    Surely taking the battery out makes the bike less valuable / less attractive to thieves?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  9. chdot
    Admin

    Not just expensive bikes or ‘in public’.

    https://twitter.com/aimeestanton4/status/1409625260119429126

    Posted 3 years ago #

  10. Yodhrin
    Member

    Oh aye, they've had bikes out of our stair before - the flat above me put in a weighted Sheffield stand(and when I say weighted, I mean you'd need four burly men and a hydraulic jack to shift it) in the main lobby and one of their bikes still got yoinked. I carry the bike up to my flat every time, not risking it.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    https://www.cycling.scot/news-and-blog/article/third-of-households-in-scotland-likely-to-have-no-safe-place-to-store-their-bikes

    Posted 2 years ago #

  12. Colonies_Chris
    Member

    I tried to use the bike parking at outside the main door at Meadowbank yesterday - so bad I put in a complaint to the manager there. It seems to have been designed by someone whose sole criterion was to cram as many bikes as possible into the space, but who never tried using it. When you wheel the bike in along the channel, the pedals catch on the low bar whose purpose eludes me. So you get the bike in by wiggling it and leaning your knee on the bar to widen the gap a bit. Then you have to squeeze under the top layer of bike holders to fit your lock, and risk hitting your head while getting out again. There are signs on the uppers warning of the danger, so they know about it - it's designed in. After hitting my head twice (fortunately while wearing a helmet) I gave up and found some railings by the car park instead. Unsurprisingly, given the dreadful bike parking at and the lack of safe routes to Meadowbank, there were no other bikes there at all. A simple row of Sheffield racks with a canopy would be far more useful - there's plenty of space in the forecourt area.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  13. Tulyar
    Member

    Sevenoaks Station had at least 2 users in A&E after upper trays dropped on their heads due to cheap & inferior spec racks

    I want to use the locking cable with electronic latch that was fitted to the Mk2 Nextbikes & OyBike (London 2004-2009 bike hire) as well as early Hourbikes (Dumfries IIRC) - the units were made by Homeport for securing crates delivered to homes & shops & released by RFID card or code PIN. Cable set off alarm if cut or opened without code

    Posted 1 year ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/18/underwater-bike-garage-solves-amsterdam-stations-storage-headache

    Posted 1 year ago #

  15. Morningsider
    Member

    Watch the timelapse video in the Guardian article linked above. The scale and ambition of the is project is simply incredible. You can only cringe when you think about the smallness of our cycle projects (and the politicians involved).

    Posted 1 year ago #

  16. chdot
    Admin

    It even included moving a tramline!

    Meanwhile Waverley is largely built on, mostly unused, ‘cellar’ space - the Bike Station was just a small part.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  17. Tulyar
    Member

    The Homeport system which has a locking cable to pass through the 'frame' of a delivery container was designed for home deliveries when the residents were out

    It was adapted and used by Hourbike (short & poorly planned schemes around the UK that tended to fold when original funding ran out) and OYBike (2004-2009 bike hire in London) The 2nd generation Nextbikes also used the cable and socket to secure the bikes, and Bewegen has something similar for leaving bikes at virtual (geo-fenced) hubs

    I have an outline project, to provide cycle parking with a connected cable, which has an electronic release (via QR/bluetooth/RFID) exclusive to the person opening and closing the lock. The cable & lock would have a tamper alarm, to go off if interfered with

    Units might be at stations, hospitals initially, and also in residential buildings

    Thoughts PM if you think someone might support development?

    Posted 1 year ago #

  18. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    Fisketorvet Shopping Center, Copenhagen - covered cycle parking right by the main entrance

    The approaches:

    Posted 1 year ago #

  19. chdot
    Admin

    Not a multi-storey bike park in second photo??

    Posted 1 year ago #

  20. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    Afraid not but Københavns Hovedbanegård could probably do with one!

    Posted 1 year ago #

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