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Cycling facilities at London's busiest railway stations are so dire that there is only one parking space for every 700 daily passengers, an Evening Standard investigation has found.
The "absolutely scandalous" shortage of bike parks and almost total absence of cycle hire shops at London's "big 50" stations means the capital is decades behind Amsterdam and Tokyo.
The Standard today launches a campaign to "Make Cycling Simpler" to encourage thousands more commuters to switch from four wheels to two. More cycling would also take pressure off London's overcrowded rush-hour rail, Underground and bus services.
The first demand of the campaign is for space for at least 100 bikes to be provided at each of the 50 busiest stations, those that are used by at least three million commuters a year.
Only nine stations reach this minimum level of provision, a huge disincentive to potential cyclists who fear their bikes will be stolen or vandalised unless they are left in secure sheds.
Responsibility for cycle parking in London is shared between Network Rail, Transport for London and individual rail operators.
Almost two million passengers a day used the capital's 50 biggest stations in 2007/08, but in total they have just 2,860 spaces for bikes. In contrast, the Dutch National Railway provides 200,000 parking spaces across its network in Holland, roughly one for every three daily commuters.
Our campaign is launched after Transport Secretary Lord Adonis spoke out against the "sorry story" of "unsupervised, badly signed and difficult-to-access" cycling facilities at London's central terminuses.
Latest figures from Network Rail show there are 1,431 spaces for bikes at its 11 central London stations. Well over half of the spaces are located at three of these - King's Cross, Paddington and Euston.
Three others, Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Fenchurch Street - used by more than 200,000 passengers a day - cannot muster a single bike rack. Of London's 50 busiest stations, 16 have no cycling facilities.
Britain's busiest station, Waterloo - the end or start point for more than a quarter of a million daily journeys - has just 210 spaces, one for every 1,300 commuters.
Tom Bogdanowicz, manager of the London Cycling Campaign, said: "The situation in London is absolutely scandalous. Amsterdam Central Station has a new three-storey bike park with space for 9,000 bikes. We've got less than 1,500 spaces at all the main line stations combined.
"The fact that stations the size of Fenchurch Street and Cannon Street have nothing at all is really unacceptable given that a bike stand costs just £50 on average."
Hazel Stevenson, a 25-year-old PR worker, who cycles to Charing Cross station, said: "It is frustrating not being able to find bike racks in London. They're never in sensible places and there are never enough. I have been to Amsterdam a few times and there it is totally different. I suppose that's something to do with our view of cycling, it is always an afterthought."
A survey by the cycling campaign found that London's railway bike parks are 99 per cent full overall.
A new hi-tech cycle parking system in Tokyo with space for 9,400 bikes allows cyclists to put their bike on a rack stored underground. It is returned to its owner within 30 seconds of it being requested with a swipe card.
TfL said in the past nine years, 2,000 cycle parking spaces have been created at or near stations in London.
'I want secure points so I do not worry about vandalism'
Damian Kudla, 28
Barman from Stamford Hill
Station: Cannon Street
“I use my bike every day to get to work in Gloucester Road but I don't generally take it to stations because there are never enough spaces. I have to leave it next to my work so that I can keep my eye on it. I would rather there were some secure points outside stations or other places in the city where you could just leave a bike and not have to worry about it being stolen or vandalised.”
Kevin Beel, 36
IT consultant, from north London
Station: Blackfriars
“I've never parked my bike in London because there isn't anywhere safe to park it. I use a space at work. There's a real lack of cycle facilities including bike stands and cycle lanes. The worst thing about cycling in London is the lack of parking spaces and the bendy buses. I've never been cycling on the Continent, but I've visited a few cities in Europe where things are a lot better than they are in London.”
Eva Juhasz, 31
Photographer from Bethnal Green
Station: Cannon Street
“I use my bike every day after getting off the train to get from the City to Hampstead. I have never used bike racks because I can never seem to find one, but I will have to in September because I am going to study in Epsom. I will have to leave the bike in London and get the train there so by then I would like to see more racks. It is really time people like the Mayor and Transport for London did more for us.”
Nik Swart, 38IT manager from Chatham, Kent
Station: Charing Cross
“I think bike facilities, including places to park, in London are appalling. It's because it is an old town trying to accommodate something that is not natural to it. In Holland there are no hang-ups with bikes. There are more bikes now in London so there needs to be more secure places to park and they really do need to be secure. I don't want to come back to my bike to find that some hoodie has kicked it to bits.”
James Dougan, 44
Postman from New Eltham
Station: Cannon Street
“I would never leave my bike outside this station. I have had one stolen and it cost me a lot of money to replace. Parking for bikes isn't secure at all in London. I would like to see more and for it to be better. I've been commuting using bike and train for about 22 years. It is better in Continental cities. Our roads are terrible and cycle lanes are poor.”
Chris Northrop, 37
Manager from Wood Green
Station: Blackfriars
“I commute on my bike but only because there is a secure basement car park to keep it where I work. I would support more facilities and call for more places to leave bikes. We really have about 20 per cent of the facilities that they have on the Continent which tells you everything you need to know about London and what it thinks about cyclists.”
Reader views (22)
You think it's bad in London? Birmingham New Street station has 24 bike spaces. 12 scruffy old stands in dark dingy spaces. Don't cycle in Birmingham, drive instead.
- Nicola, Birmingham
Seoul like London is undergoing a cycling revival. Like London it appears to be more talk than action. Cycle commuting in Seoul is like trying to change an ancient confucian mindset.
- David Holmes, Seoul, Sth Korea
These numbers are so low they beggar belief, yet one of your respondents says that there are actually "plenty of racks" when the fair weather cyclists aren't using them !
The city of Assen, where I now live, has a population of just 65000 people. Nevertheless, we have over 2300 cycle parking spaces at the railway station here. i.e. nearly as many as fifty stations spread across the whole of London with its 8 M population. Our racks are well used all year around.
London is unfortunately still a very long way from a true cycling renaissance. You need the quality of infrastructure to make cycling a pleasant option for everyone before the masses will take to cycling.
- David Hembrow, Assen, Netherlands
I love fact that London is becoming more and more cycle friendly. Just look at the numbers on the streets in the morning, thousands of us, all positive. I've cycled to work for 18 years in four countries and London is the best - if you want danger and a sense of hatred for anyone not in a car, try Sydney.
On the subject of parking, there is very simple solution that was mentioned in another post. Remore the abondoned bikes! You will have enough spaces afterwards for a good few more years. Look at any specifically allocated area for parking at stations and the % of abondoned bikes will be over 90%. To remove them, put a warning on every bike, it will be removed in three months if it is still here with sticker at the end of that time period. From then on a simple ticket system wil work wonders. No elaborate computer system. No dedicated four storey buildings that will quickly fill with more abondoned bikes.
- Vincent, London
MORE CYCLE PARKING and Securer too!
Thank you ES for campaigning on this issue which forms part of many Commuters Modal Transport plan including mine at Haywards Heath Station on the Brighton line where Subway parking was moved away from the Station where it is less secure.
At the recent VeloCity conference - advanced station cycle storage was highlighted and a good example was Houten in Holland where thousands of bikes park at the Station whereas we have upto 200 in this fine weather right now,most of which are chained to structures other than the inadequate number of stands.
One location in London that could be adapted for secure cycle parking are the vast empty platforms at Euston Station and no doubt there are similar places elsewhere on the network.
Lets hope more cycle parking is provided sooner rather than later. We have been waiting 10 years in Haywards Heath and all agree more cycle parking is needed - so why do they not provide the facility!
Richard Bates - SE Councillor - CTC
- Richard Bates, haywards heath, sussex
London is built for bycycling - cars are turning the city into a nightmare. Take a leaf from Copenhagen and Denmark where cycling has high priority although there is a long way to go before the cars stop polluting city space - to the detriment of those who live next to congested roads
- Morten Olesen, odense, denmark
We need more equipment to encourage people to take their bikes. Parking spaces obviously but also safety. Another fatal bicycle accident at the Oval today. How many people will die before something is done to improve the safety of cyclists in London ? we should help cyclists because they help decongesting, reducing pollution, keeping people fit, reduce noise... we need more cyclists to improve the quality of life in London, it's in everybody's interest. Boris Johnson's budget of £111m is tiny compared to the budget to improve other transportation means. Look at the equipment of major cities like Amsterdam, Munich, Paris...
Michel
- Michel K, London
Be careful what you wish for: you'll end up paying for it, especially if the likes of Wesminster Council have anything to do with it, just as they are doing with charging for motorcycle parking.
An artificial lack of space will be magically replaced by 'new' facilities with cheap and bare minimum 'security'for which you will pay a daily charge, falsely justified by the provision of the new facilities. It will still be overcrowded and you bike at risk of theft or vanadlism.
Even green & congestion-busting transport is now prey to these money-grubbing organisations: cyclists must be next!
- Any2wheels, West London
They will do nothing as cyclist do not help make money for these parking schemes. They'd rather target car drivers as it garantee revenue. Why invest in something that does not make any profits ?
- Joe, Swanley Kent
What am I missing here? I walk to my local station and travel to Liverpool Street by train. I then walk to my office. I am a green hero. If I travelled to the City by bicycle or carried a fold up bike to Liverpool Street and cycled from there to my office, why would there be a need for a cycle rack at Liverpool Street station?
- Bj, London
This is a prime example on how Regional Assemblies can help the populace with basic transport. That does not cost alot, and can be advertised as fixing a required need.
- William, Hay~Heath UK
Even Cambridge stations has a lack of cycle racks, it can take 10 minutes to find a space at times. Part of the problem is that there is no system to remove bikes that are no longer in use, however I think more racks will still be needed.
Cycling in London will note "take off" until lots of problem have been sorted out, so expect new rack to be empty until other issues are also dealt with. Once cycling in London become low hassle for enough people, it is likely to take off suddenly. (No one can predict the point it will "take of" and become "normal")
- Ian Ringrose, Cambridge
If you want to know how you should do it come to Copenhagen, Denmark and see how the Danes do it with biking parking facilities at every station and seperate bike lanes. Every station has a lift for bikes, pushchairs, wheelchairs. Everyone has a bike in Copenhagen, it's the best way of travelling but the government make infrastructure a priority unlike the UK.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark
Unfortunately whatever the Mayor, TfL, or anyone else states about trying to encourage cycling, cyclists are still regarded as a lower form of life in this country, not helped by the intolerant attitude of many cyclists themselves. Besides which Holland is a flat country and cycling there has always been a popular and highly acceptable method of transport.
PS I am a cyclist myself.
- Patrick, Dalston
Most people get pretty close to their work places by public transport. What we really need is more, secure cycle parking at commuter stations. If you want to park a bike at my local station it will almost certainly get stolen. As there are CCTV cameras for everyone and everything else, surely it's not a problem to provide some security? I'm all for paying a modest charge (say £1 a day), but no doubt any system would be hived off to the unregulated private sector and we would end up paying more than we have to for a car.
- Paul, London
Cycle parking is either non-existent, inadequate or rubbish in every aspect of London life - post offices, hospitals, cinemas, galleries and museums, shops, tube stations, you name it. London is a bad joke to cycle in. And very dangerous and scary, too.
- Jo, London
Whilst I agree with the article, the focus should be on making cycling safer. The roads in central London are appalling. A greater effort needs to be made by the Mayor's office to deal with the roads, and the increasing number of pot holes and the poorly repaired roads after they have been dug up.
- Simon, London
Bike racks are full at the moment cos all the fairweather cyclists are out. But most of the year when its too cold or wet for them there are plenty of cycle racks.
- Gloria G, London, UK
More irrevocable proof that town planners, architects and holders of vision for this city and country should all be sacked due to their total lack of vision and imagination - do we need more stainless steel and glass buildings? do we need to pander to cars? do we need to redesign buildings and public spaces to deal with changing climate and the way we live. I live in total despair and anger
- Nelly, East London
If you look at the bike racks at say Paddington, you'll notice many bikes, if not most,have been abandoned and fill all the spaces. I spoke to a staion official and he said that was the case. The answer is a ticket system that disposes of the bike after a time.
- Martin, London
Australia for examples provide lockers for bikes at commuter stations for rental. That way your bike is locked away out of site and you dont have to carry your stuff all day. Theres even money in it for the railway to recover costs.
- Stuz Graz, Wimbledon, London
TFL dont care about cyclists and there problems of where to park. They want to raise cash not spend it.
After all with 200 managers earning over £100,000 per year they need money.
- Mr S.Port, LONDON
