CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh

Bike storage in tenements

(14 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by poppydiamond
  • Latest reply from kaputnik

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  1. poppydiamond
    Member

    Hi there, just wondering if anyone knows the rules or regulations regarding storage of bikes in Edinburgh tenement stairwells? I live in a tenement flat and lock my bike up against the banister railings as do a few others. However someone has put up an unofficial looking sign downstairs saying that this is not allowed.

    Does anyone know if this is the case?

    Thanks.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

    It depends...

    Most problems tend to relate to blocking exits.

    This might interest -

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1508

    Posted 12 years ago #
  3. SRD
    Moderator

    I don't know about rules, but it can be really dangerous - especially if they make it difficult or people to reach the handrail or if the handlebars/or other parts stick through the handrail, which risks ripping people in te dark. one of our neighbours suffered a broken shoulder as a result of tripping on a bike on stairs.

    Things that seem safe to mobile folk are oten surprisingly unsafe for the elderly or anyone unstable on their feet (pregnant, carrying babies etc).

    Posted 12 years ago #
  4. poppydiamond
    Member

    Thanks for your responses chdot and SRD. I'm pretty sure my bike is very close to the rails and there's over a meter's space between it and the wall so I really hope it hasn't been an obstruction for anyone. I live in a very small flat with just a kitchen and a bedroom so it looks like the bike may have to go which is really unfortunate :-(

    Posted 12 years ago #
  5. SRD
    Moderator

    is there a railing on the wall side? most tenements only have rails on one side, so if you need a railing to hold on to, then the bike is in the way.

    do you have a high ceiling that you could put a hook on? there's a pic somewhere of a hook behind the door that looks v. good. miggymagic also has a cool pulley effect that means you don't even need to lift it.

    hope you find a solution!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  6. Morningsider
    Member

    Hi poppydiamond. You might find the attached briefing from SPOKES on tenement bike storage to be of use:

    http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Fact-sheet-v10-231210.pdf

    Lots of ideas of how to store a bike in a flat.

    I doubt it is actually "illegal" to store a bike in the communal stair and if you do so with consideration for others (leave plenty of space to pass, ensure banisters are free of obstruction on the stairs and at the top and bottom of each flight, do not block any doors) then it shouldn't cause too much trouble.

    I think problems tend to arise when a number of bikes are stored in a stair or bikes are stored inconsiderately. If you can, then perhaps best to speak to your cycling neighbors and try and arrange things so as to cause minimum disruption. If you know who put the sign up then try and have a word with them and work out a solution to their concerns. As a lifelong flat dweller, I am a great believer in the power of chat to smooth over almost any minor problems. It might not always work if you are in a stair with students or a transient population, but is usually worth a go.

    Please don't give up your bike - after all you could be really inconsiderate and block up a huge area of road with another car instead.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    As the other posters and links can articulate better - there are solutions and you shouldn't think that you have to give up your bicycle over this.

    I don't think there's anything illegal here, although of course some neighbours may think it is inconsiderate or anti-social.

    You may also want to consider the passive aggressive response, which is to put up your own unofficial official signs that say "no unofficial signs in the stairwell (they are a fire hazard)".

    But again. Don't feel you have to give up the bike. I find all the cars parked right outside my door inconsiderate and antisocial, however it's not illegal either and they don't (and perhaps shouldn't) feel obliged not to just because of my opinion.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  8. DaveC
    Member

    When we lived in a tenement flat in Leith a few years ago, signs were put up and we received notes through the doors of all the flats (I pretty much knew everyone as I organised the maintainance) saying our bikes at the foot of the stair (not en route from stair to front door) were a fire hazard and must be removed. A quick call to MacDonald Road Fire Station comfirmed this was false. I removed the signs, and followed up with a note to all flats saying that the Station Office from MacDonald Road Station had confirmed they were not a fire hazard and that as our bikes were not blocking the escape route and they would remain locked there. I received nothing else about the bikes after that.

    Don't let some busy body push you around in your own stair well.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  9. poppydiamond
    Member

    Hi SRD - there is only one railing and that's the banister that I lock my bike to. It is up one flight of stairs though. With regard to in-flat storage - my landlord probably won't let me install hooks or any apparatus on the walls (based on past experience).

    Thanks for the document Morningsider - that's very useful! It's unfortunate this sign has been put up as, having lived in Edinburgh tenements for 10 years - the bike set-up I have in my block now is probably the least 'in the way' or unsafe one I have ever seen! I may pop a note up asking them to come have a chat! Although some of the neighbours are quite aggressive and scary!

    I definitely don't want to give up my bike - but my landlord is unlikely to agree to new fixtures/fittings to hang a bike on and outside the flat it's not the safest neighbourhood. I'll do all I can to keep it though. I do think that my bike in the stairwell is doing a lot less damage than all the neighbours' cars which are parked in the street :-)

    I wonder if I could get some firefighters or related staff to check out my situation and advise...

    Thanks all.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  10. cb
    Member

    If all else fails you could look at getting a folding bike. I bought mine when I lived in a tenement.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @poppydiamond - there are some freestanding wall bike racks that you can get. And Crowriver has demonstrated what can be achieved in terms of load carrying with a basic folding bike.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Threatblast from the past.

    Not just for boxes by andy a, on Flickr

    Just installed 4 of these, £15.99 off of an amazon seller.

    There's a design flaw whereby the metal is curved around at the top to hold the hook, but in such a way that it holds the flat plate ~5mm off the wall, meaning you can't get a tight fit flat against the wall. This was easily remedied by sliding a piece of 12mm MDF (other woods are available) behind the plate and drilling out the screwholes.

    The fixings supplied don't match the photo, and were rubbish anyway with cheap rawlplugs and screws too short, so I substituted much more substantial and deeper ones of my own as we have over an inch thick of crumbly old plaster before the drill hits the brick.

    They've yet to fall off the wall so think I must have done something right. And, yes, I'm aware that to get the bike on the right out the other 3 have to come out first, however they're hung in order of how infrequently they get used.

    Fortunately we're blessed with a substantial if amusingly hexagonal box room to accommodate the bikes and an array of shelves above to ceiling hight.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  13. steveo
    Member

    I've had my fixed on one for about two years now. Fell off the wall first time but refitted with better screws and plugs been find for >24 months.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I should have known better than to try, but the first one fell off the wall within 5 minutes using the supplied fixings...

    Posted 8 years ago #

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