Local Shops and Locking Bikes

[Ben17]

I'd hazard a guess that on the whole car drivers spend more per visit to the shops than cyclists do, if only because carrying stuff isn't such an issue- although we all know somebody who will drive half a mile to the newsagents to buy a paper. Because of this there is more economic sense in pandering to the requirements of the motorist, many of whom won't frequent a particular shop if they have to walk more than about a hundred metres to get to the front door.

That makes sense and it's a difficult one to argue against from a business point of view. If we ask private entities to pay, they'll naturally want to see a benefit.

However, I wouldn't necessarily advocate removing parking, just a solitary bike rack added to the paved area, wherever possible.

 

[Ben17]

It depends here if there are bike parking provisions near the shops.
Most major supermarkets have them, but not all: my local Lidl has none, there is a local big Tesco that has none, but we have a pub with covered bike parking!
The local Halfords has no bike parking neither has the Evans in the city centre, in both cases you bring your bike in.
My local library has 2 stands.
You will find plenty parking spaces in town, but they are often full.
As always, we must be inventive.

That's amusing from Halfords and Evans. I've not visited the former since buying my bike, but I'm pretty sure they had portable bike stands that they presumably move in and out of the shop for open and close.

We're also fortunate that our town centre at least is good for cycle parking. There are a number of stands just as the pedestrianised area starts at both ends. Just a shame there are ever fewer reasons to visit town!

I'm not sure what our main supermarkets are like. I'll have to check next time I'm there. I do know the local Co-op big store has slightly secluded racks of the sort where you wedge the wheel into a metal holder, with nowhere to secure the frame.

 

[NorthernDave]

My nearest Halfords has a couple of Sheffield stands, tucked in the wrong place out of sight of the entrance - I certainly wouldn't lock my bike to them.
That said, I just wheel my bike in and it's never been a problem.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

That said, I just wheel my bike in and it's never been a problem.

Well, Halfords, Evans and similar must allow bikes in the shop, otherwise how could they be serviced or repaired?
I just remembered: there is a lbs in Glasgow with no bike parking, I think the pavement is too narrow, the premises are in an old building.

 

[Reynard]

The new build Co-op in Littleport, the next village along, has two lots of sheffield stands. I've seen folks just lean their bikes on them and not lock them in any way...

Tesco in Ely has a bunch but they're nearly always full. Failing that, there are the rails along the side of the trolley park, or as a last ditch resort of you don't mind a short walk, there are always the bike racks at the station. Other than a handful of sheffield stands near Waitrose and a few just off the market place, the centre of Ely is crap for bike parking.

The LBS in Ely is on the first floor of a building. Not the easiest to get a bike in there...

 

[cosmicbike]

What reason do they give for not wanting your bike in the store? Apart from not wanting your money, obviously.

Sainsburys have pulled me up for wheeling my Brompton around, apparently against company policy. I asked to see that in writing, needless to say they were unable to provide. An email to their 'customer service' team got the same response. Interesting that their own policy doesn't apply to their staff who wheel their bikes through the store.

 

[cosmicbike]

My local Waitrose in Egham has about 12 bike stands which I use regularly, half of which are under cover. Egham itself has plenty of bike racks, likewise Staines. Unlike Cycle Surgery in Chertsey who have none. An Halfords (but they are OK with bike being taken in).

 

[BorderReiver]

Of course, any supermarket can have any company policy it wants when it comes to bikes in stores but I would like to know their logic (if there is any). Presumably they allow prams and pushchairs? A double buggy takes up a lot more space than a bike and is more dangerous to peoples' ankles. What about mobility scooters- they can zip around at a fair speed and I've almost been taken out by one on more than one occasion.

 

[Salty seadog]

Tesco once said it was unsanitary and the health department would shut them down. This was a cashier at the to. The security team and management I walked past said nothing that day.

That's an interesting argument. I wonder how it's any more unsanitary than people's shoes, pushchairs, wheelchairs, mobility scooters etc., not to mention filthy clothing after a day's physical labour, dirty hands - I'm sure there's more.

They keep the trolleys out in the unsanitary environment where they wander all over the car park.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Sainsburys have pulled me up for wheeling my Brompton around, apparently against company policy. I asked to see that in writing, needless to say they were unable to provide. An email to their 'customer service' team got the same response. Interesting that their own policy doesn't apply to their staff who wheel their bikes through the store.

I put my Brommie in a trolley and wheel it round.

 

[Drago]

That makes sense and it's a difficult one to argue against from a business point of view. If we ask private entities to pay, they'll naturally want to see a benefit.

However, I wouldn't necessarily advocate removing parking, just a solitary bike rack added to the paved area, wherever possible.

But us cyclists cos less to cater for. The cost of a few dozen decent bike stands compared to their typical car park of several hundred spaces is miniscule, and the bike stands don't have ongoing staff costs for parking enforcement.

 

[Ben17]

But us cyclists cos less to cater for. The cost of a few dozen decent bike stands compared to their typical car park of several hundred spaces is miniscule, and the bike stands don't have ongoing staff costs for parking enforcement.

I know it's a small cost. However, for existing parades and the like, a new cost is a new cost - particular where the shops I'm thinking of don't have parking enforcement, and in one or two cases (not all), poorly maintained parking areas amounting to little more than a gravel yard. If a businesses can't see a return for that expenditure, they'll understandably be reluctant to spend.

Perhaps with new developments, it's easier to argue about putting in a few bike stands instead of a single parking space, I don't know. But for existing areas, without some external push, be that actual demand from cyclists or local/national government initiatives, I can unfortunately see why there may be reluctance.

 

[Welsh wheels]

Tesco once said it was unsanitary and the health department would shut them down. This was a cashier at the to. The security team and management I walked past said nothing that day.

What a senseless argument! My bike's more clean than most people's shoes.

 

[Welsh wheels]

Something occurred to me as I was out today. I passed a parade of shops and noticed a lack of spaces to lock up bikes. This got me pondering, so when I got home I had a look on Streetview at three other local parades and small shops that I'm aware of. Similarly, nowhere to lock a bike - but generally a decent amount of car parking, of course.

I wonder if this is something local to me in North Warwickshire, a coincidence due to a very small sample size, or whether the case is that small community shops and services don't generally have places to lock up? I've found it a bit disappointing really, as with local shops generally being within a few miles of most houses - at least around here - popping to the shops should surely be the perfect journey for encouraging cycling over the car.

It may be quite a small thing when thinking of bicycle infrastructure, but there seems to me a simple opportunity here to improve the feasibility of using a bike for day-to-day errands. After all, from my point of view at least, you can have the best segregated cycle routes in the world, but it's no good if at the destination, the bike can't be stored relatively securely.

I agree, there is a lack of bike racks. I have locked up my bike to lamposts, trees and even a table once.

 

[cosmicbike]

I put my Brommie in a trolley and wheel it round.

I do that now. Just have to remember my pound for Sainsbury, Waitrose trolleys don't need one