Comments on: Abandoned Cycles Clogging Cycle Parking at Babraham Road Park and Ride

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:41:44 +0000

There are other affordable options to deal with this. I organise outdoor events and have to constantly provide temporary or semi permanent parking, paths and floors to go on top of grass that wont cause any damage to the grass underneath. I use a company called Grassform - http://www.grassform.co.uk and their solution is quick, easy and affordable. Would reccomend them highly if anybody reading this has problems such as the above that need solving.

By: John Lawton

John Lawton — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:22:25 +0000

Yes I can understand that. My naivety in assuming they are in the rail business rather than car parking business. Of course more cycle facilities might encourage some extra passengers who can’t afford the high car parking charges, but could otherwise chose to go by coach.

By: Martin

Martin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:00:12 +0000

The reason why the station management haven’t provided cycle parking is surely simple. Here it is:

http://www.cyclestreets.net/location/14209/

By: John Lawton

John Lawton — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:27:51 +0000

Cyclists using the P&R might be avoiding the car parking fees at Addenbrookes, but they are also getting some additional exercise which is good for health. Don’t discourage this!
The video from 1998 shows the shameful attitude of the station managment then and since.
The CB1 development I fear has woefully inadequate cycle parking, so it looks like no prospect of improvement, ever.

By: Gareth Rees

Gareth Rees — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:52:11 +0000

The answer to the problem is twofold. First, operate a continual programme of abandoned bicycle removal. This article by David Hembrow explains how Dutch railway stations handle vastly larger numbers of abandoned bikes. There’s no reason why a similar scheme couldn’t be adopted at the Park and Ride site.

Second, as Martin says above, provide lots more cycle parking. There’s clearly a public demand for it and it’s cheap to provide, so why not provide some supply? You might want to read “The Dutch Railway Station Cycle Parking Crisis to get a sense of perspective on the very minor cycle parking problems we have in Cambridge: “Delft [railway station], for instance, is building a new 5000 space underground cycle park. However, there is already concern that it will be completely full from the first day that it is available”.

By: John Hill

John Hill — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:48:07 +0000

Charge them for bike parking. It’s called Park and Ride, not have a free car parking space near your place of work. By not using the bus, these people are working the system to avoid the £3 charge imposed on staff at Addenbrooke’s (which in itself is pretty token amount compared to the phenomenal prices for patients)

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:17:14 +0000

The station area already has a system for dealing with abandoned bikes.

Time and again people are falling into the trap of assuming that clearing abandoned bikes here will solve the problem of cycle parking shortage. It will barely scratch the surface.

What is needed is simply *more cycle parking* (together with continued regular clearance).

I expect if the cycle parking at the station area were doubled, in order to try to meet the demands of the railway’s (high-fee-paying) customers, they would be becoming full within a year. But that would be a very good start! Instead we have odd dribs and drabs added every other year.

Things have barely changed since this video was made in 1998:
http://www.camcycle.org.uk/campaigning/videos/#nbw1998b

By: ferg

ferg — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:38:34 +0000

Divide the cycle area into zones (say 4). Close a zone for a fortnight once a year, so that nobody could park there, but could only remove bikes. That way anything left at the end of that closed period is not regularly used. Together with a ‘condition of parking’ that you only had 14 days of free cycle parking in any one uninterupted period would enable bikes to be removed to another place or dealt with as seen fit.

It is a significant problem here. I’m sure every person in Cambridge knows of at least one person who has lost a bike at the station cycle park, and found it years later

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:37:43 +0000

They could use a “festival” style band around the cross bars of all bikes warning users that if the bike is still there after such-and-such a time period it will be removed to a better place…

I can see problems with such an idea, but it’s a suggestion for working through…