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Transport Secretary slams London stations over sorry state of cycling facilities
Joe Murphy, Political Editor24 Jun 2009
London's stations were today given a sharp dressing down by the new Transport Secretary for the dire facilities they offer cyclists.
In an interview with the Standard, Lord Adonis said a shortage of bike racks and virtual absence of secure storage is letting down Londoners.
The Cabinet minister spoke out after cycling to six of the capital's major stations to discover for himself the quality of services on offer.
What he found were crowded racks for as few as 25 cycles, often badly signed and tucked away on inconvenient platforms behind ticket barriers.
“I think we can do a lot better,” he said. “There is a big job to be done but I am determined to see improvements in the facilities at our stations.”
Tonight, at a transport conference, the minister will announce he is reserving £5 million for experimental improvements at 10 stations. If they are a success, he intends to use the renegotiation of rail franchises to force the industry to invest in better facilities.
By contrast, Lord Adonis recently visited Leiden, in Holland, where he found superb facilities for 4,500 cycles, including lock-up storage covered by CCTV cameras and a permanent staff, complete with a bike repair shop.
Not surprisingly, they were well used by travellers. “In Holland, more than a third of trips to the station are made by bike. Can you guess the figure in Britain? Just two per cent.
“Leiden has a population of only 120,000, yet has supervised cycle parking for 4,500 bikes. Can you guess what the sum total of bike storage facilities are at all of the London terminals put together?” The answer is shaming for the capital's rail chiefs — enough for just 1,200 bikes.
Instead of asking ministry officials to report to him on the situation, Lord Adonis, a rail and cycling enthusiast, got on his bike and spent last Sunday afternoon investigating for himself.
Over several hours he took pictures of the cycle racks he found which he shared with this newspaper.
“It was a sorry story, as my photos show. For the most part, storage is very limited, unsupervised, badly signed and difficult to access.” At London Bridge, for example, he had to “hunt long and hard” before finding a packed set of racks where some cycles had been hoisted high up and chained to a wire fence. “Apparently, the safest place to chain your bike is to the barbed wire,” said the minister.
There was a supervised bike store installed by the Mayor, but it was five minutes away, badly signposted and difficult to find. “I needed to get my A to Z out to find it,” he said. “And look at the opening hours — 7.30am to 7.30pm. You would have to lead a pretty narrow office life to use it.”
At Cannon Street there were no notices. At Liverpool Street the racks were nearly full even on a Sunday and an overspill at Bishopsgate Piazza took him 20 minutes to find. At St Pancras, which is run by his own department, there were no signs to the 12 metal poles that would allow around 25 cycles to be chained up.
At King's Cross and Paddington, racks were on a platform. At the latter, a member of staff had no idea where they were located.
“It is not because they have different genes that the Dutch cycle so much more than us — it is because they have better facilities,” said the Transport Secretary. He has handed the task of designing improvements to Chris Green and Sir Peter Hall, his two “stations champions”.
Although Lord Adonis's hands-on investigation is unusual for a Cabinet minister, it is typical for a former Education Minister who was reckoned to have visited more schools than any other.
Unlike his “petrolhead” predecessor Geoff Hoon, he only drives his Vauxhall Vectra when necessary. On speeding he said: “I think I got a fine back in 1998. It was three points on my licence, though I remember thinking it was not that fast.”
His priority is to develop the rail system, in particular to make progress on high-speed rail, which he calls “the most important transport decision we will make in this generation”.
He denies that there is a choice between building more roads and forcing people to drive less.
“That's a false choice. People should be able to travel freely — and my job is to give people more choices.”
A tale of two terminals
King's Cross, London
Serves: A city of eight million people
Cycle facilities: Racks for 50-100 bikes, badly signposted and located on a crowded platform
Usage: Around two per cent of British rail passengers get to the station by bike.
Leiden, Holland
Serves: A city of 120,000 people
Cycle facilities: Secure storage for 4,500 bikes, protected by CCTV cameras and a supervisor, accessed by ramps and complete with a repair shop.
Usage: Some 40 per cent of Dutch rail travellers go to the station on a cycle.
Reader views (23)
CONGRATULATIONS TO LORD ADONIS (and to Peter Hall and Chris Green) for acknowledging the dire need for improved bike facilities at London's major stations. The current levels and standards are thoroughly inadequate and off-putting to both current and potential cyclists. I support any actions they can take to improve amenities - it's about time that cycling's health, environment, low cost and sheer enjoyment benefits for London become acknowledged.
- Alfred Neuman, London, United Kingdom, 01/09/2009 22:19
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some clear thinking on cycling is desperately needed, its a cheap solution to so many of our problems. i lived in holland many years, and its a breeze there... thats becuase there is joined up thinking. it nice to hear lord adonis' comments but what we need is more than fiddling around the edges, we need bold solutions... but we live in a country of the timid mouse!
cyclist need space on trains, we pay for it often enough... what there should be is dedicated compartments... away from uptight and retentive "cycle haters".
safe cycling and safe storage will mean less hassle for everyone so lets get on with it!
- Draeyk, United Kingdom, 04/08/2009 08:20
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So this is about out-of-towners needing somewhere to put there bike overnight. Fine. What about the rest of living in this forsaken town. Where can I park my bike in the city, in the west end, when I am out and about. A pole, a tree perhaps. This is, as usual, ill-conceived. Not making cycling simpler, just more complicated. Have any of these people been to Paris at all where there is a simple rule of the right of passage. Meaning, being an adult, I can cycle and park my bike anywhere. This country is run by idiots for idiots. Don't get me started on those ridiculous bumbs on the edges of street crossings. Awful country, awful people.
- Albert, London, 04/08/2009 07:20
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It is a pleasant change to learn of somebody within the Labour ranks that one can have respect for. As a daily cyclist, I hope Mr Adonis keeps up the good work.
- Harry H, London UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Lets not forget that under his own Nu Labor government the country's infrastructure has fallen into real disrepair.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 04/08/2009 07:20
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It needs to be remembered that Cannon Street, Kings Cross and London Bridge Stations are currently undergoing major reconstruction so while this is on going space or location for cycles would be limited. The real question is what facilities will these stations have once they have been re-built?
As for Cannon Street this station is unusual in that very little journeys start from there it is mainly about commuters who arrive by train in the morning and go home at night. Of course what this does mean is it is an ideal station for one of the Mayors Cycle Stations while facilities similar to left luggage lockers (only for bikes) which can be stored overnight might be useful.
The reality howevr, is Boris is withdrawing from service the best buses that have an ability to take bikes namely Bendy Buses this proves what a nonsense Gilligans campaign against these buses is as they are ideal for bikes!
The next major change will be the arrival of bendy trains on Overground and SSL which will have more space for bikes. However, until Boris gets on with installing step free access cyclists will like mothers with prams be left carry ing bikes up and down often crowded and akward staircases.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Well done Lord Adonis, encountered the same problem at Victoria, staff did not know where the cycle rack was and when I walked the 5 minutes to the end of one of the platforms was met with a chained quagmire of bikes on a rack catering for about 20 bikes, lets making cycling more aspirational.
- Adam, Earlswood, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Cyclists should not be encouraged in any way shape or form and they certainly should not be encouraged to bring there cycles onto the trains that are already over crowded.In any case most people who call themselves cyclists do anything but cycle apart from a few hundred yards to the nearest station where they expect to dump there bike and jump on the train.And why should they expect facilities when they pay nothing towards them!Am i and people like me expected to subsidise them?
- Kev, London-UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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This must be an excellent business opportunity for somebody - as an occasional train user I would gladly pay a small fee to know my bike would be there in one piece when I got back. Indeed I would probably use the trains more.
It's not just the London stations that need improved bike facilities though. Well done Lord A
- Tim, Stevenage, UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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What a great example by a politician of finding out first-hand what the reality of using your cycle on a daily basis is like. I just hope we don't have to wait too long for the improvements to be made, and that this is the start of more a pro-active approach to finding out what Londoners, and cyclist in particular, really need to make travel less dangerous and more efficient.
- Terry, Pimlico, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Terry, Pimlico
"and cyclists in particular"
Why why why cyclists in particular ??? Why do cyclists keep thinking they are above everyone else?
- Jl, London, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Kev, your village called, they want their idiot back.
- Jason, Aberdeen, UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Great article, Lord Adonis has just earned my respect.
Kev (above) has not.
- Jon, London, UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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As a cyclist and train user, I have fallen in love with this minister. Why can't they all be as 'cycle-clips-on' as Lord Adonis. With this kind of behaviour he gives politicians a good name, and even gets them(gasp!)votes. And now for the follow-through: supervised cycle storage facilities (with showers and changing facilities)!
- Stuart Crawshaw, London, UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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On the flip side, how about SW Trains stop announcing that non folding bikes aren't allowed on peak trains and do something about stopping people bringing them on?
- Bob, Cheam, 04/08/2009 07:20
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What a breath of fresh air Lord Adonis is.
A minister who actually checks to see if facilities are fit for purpose rather than taking someone's word for it.
What a shame that at the weekend all the train companies band cyclists because of the increased number of cyclist wanting to use trains for the London to Brighton Bike Ride. Cyclist who had gone out of their way to raise sponsorship for charities had to come in to London the day before use their saving to pay for hotels.
Shame on those profiteering rather than seeing the value of the doing something for charity.
Do we treat the London Marathon runners like that and ban them from public transport.
- Andrew, London, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Top work Lord Adonis, if we had more politians like you the world would be a better place. London is in dire need of better cycle facilities everywhere. Having good secure facilities at stations would help encourage people to ride to the station, but the roads outside the station and beyond also need looking at. Bike theft is also rife and the police don't seem to care. An across the board, good quality approach is needed if cycling in general is to be encouraged, and if the govt wants to cut CO2 emissions. I see not one disadvantage here, only advantages for everyone. Anyone who says this is a bad idea is obviously not a cyclist and has no idea what is and isn't important to society in general as we push deeper into the 21st century. The age of the car is doomed.
- G, London, UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Cycles need to be taken onto trains, too. Current facilities on trains are laughable, as are the timing restriction imposed by carriers. Trains deserve carriages for bicycles with some seating. More choices, please.
- Bl, London, 04/08/2009 07:20
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very impressed with the direct action by a Lord, no less! improved cycle lock-ups at stations, both main line and tubes, would certainly help encourage use of public transport and bikes - a double win.
i'd also like to see better facilities for taking bikes on mainline trains. Currently there's either very restricted numbers of bike spaces available, so you risk not being able to take the train you're booked on, or it's expected that the disabled seating area can double up for bikes, which it can't if a wheelchair user is also travelling.
- Sk, london, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Bl of London - cycles do NOT need to be taken on trains and certainly SHOULD NOT be taken on them. Do you not think we commuters have a horrible enough time crammed in with each other, without you lot bringing your stupid contraptions on board?
JL of London has got it absolutely right, on the other hand - cyclists think they are above all others and Bl has proved it.
- Cycle Hater, Somewhere in North London, 04/08/2009 07:20
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Cycle hater ... You hate your overcrowded commute, so you rail against people who choose not to join you? OKaaay...
- Bl, London, 04/08/2009 07:20
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I think it's great that Lord Adonis is doing something to make cycling in London easier. I use Victoria station - with overcrowded bike racks. To cycle hater - support the racks, as better ones will take bikes off trains.
The combination of train and bike is the most environmentally friendly commuting option for those of us who can't afford to live close to London.
- Paul, Burgess Hill, 04/08/2009 07:20
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You have to laugh at Kev. He doesn't seem to have noticed that bikes are already "not encouraged" on overcrowded trains, ie the peak-time ban. (Which while reasonable, oddly enough doesn't seem to apply to giant luggage or non-folded prams, which take up just as much space.)
And that obsession about 'subsidy'...news flash, if you take the train you are already being subsidised. Unless you never use buses or the Tube, you are being subsidised. Next to that, a few quid on extra bike stands that will last for years is nothing. Unless of course you want to make things so impossible for cyclists on public transport they give up the public transport and go by car--then see how much support for public transport priority or subsidy you get from those people.
- Liz, London, UK, 04/08/2009 07:20
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