New bike parking at work

[LabRatt]

We're getting there. Today the previously observed MTB is chained to the gas pipe - four bicycles using three stands. I haven't checked the other places yet.

 

[Paul J]

So why not use the ones that are secure, like the ones in your second picture? If you want it bad enough get in early and leave the rubbish to someone else. No different if you want a car parking space really.

 

[LabRatt]

It's the principle of the thing really. Plus the fact that this is a girls' school. The new wheelbenders are very close to the delivery entrance that starts the shortest route to the staff shower and minimises pupil contact, whereas the more secure sheffield stands are adjacent to the sixth form entrance and mean either a long walk through the school or a long walk around the front of the school. OK, so my cycling outfit isn't actually skin tight lycra (I'm not quite there yet) but my shorts and sweaty t-shirt might still be deemed "inappropriate".

I will use the secure racks, and the fact that the better located racks are unsuitable will be used in my defence if comments are made about my dress, but the point is that what little cycle parking there is is inappropriate, and there's not enough of it.

 

[Paul J]

So why not find out who was involved in the spec of bike facilities and as a teacher sit on the committee and make sure the rest are done right. When your foot is in the door then you can put forward upgrading the rubbish

 

[Herr-B]

Just get three cheap wheels from a car boot or freecycle and some cheap locks and chain them up, permanently. (Or until somebody nicks them!) And carry on using the railings.

 

[LabRatt]

Well, for one I'm not a teacher, I'm lowly support staff and, although there are many things that couldn't happen without me, my opinion doesn't actually count for a lot. For another, as far as I'm aware (and I have asked) there is no committee, and the spec was "let's stop people chaining bikes to these railings".

 

[LabRatt]

I had a long chat with a teacher who rides, and it seems that these new stands were raised at a whole-school (teaching) staff meeting on Monday morning. I haven't seen minutes of this meeting (if any were taken) but word is going to be spread that I'd like to collect together the other cyclists with a view to creating some form of BUG and getting these issues dealt with.

This teacher was very keen on the idea that we should encourage pupils to ride ("maybe we could add it to Liberal Studies"...), and was astonished to learn that free Bikeability training is available to everyone. I'll take some initiative here and get information from Southwark council on how it would work.

 

[Paul J]

Looks like you will have an input after all.