Popped to Tesco on the way home...

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I know Tesco bike stands are noted for their general crappiness but...

• Rode into car park
• Rode to bike parking area
• Looked at bike stand, bent, with bolts sticking up
• Picked up bike stand with one hand, not fastened to ground at all
• Didn't bother

There was a fair bit of opposition to the Tesco Express opening where it did. Would provision for cycle parking have been part of the planning, for things like this, do you think?

 

[Hacienda71]

Many local authorities will accept cycle parking provisions to offset a lack of car parking when granting planning consent. Although there has been a reduction in car parking standard requirements over recent years. Developers offer this sort of thing to reduce the commuted sums of money the local authority can ask them for, sadly half the time the council don't even bother to check if the developer has carried out the work.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Oh, the work was carried out..unfortunately in Tesco style with their useless stands screwed into the floor with little more than 4 rawlbolts.

And in Tesco Car Park style, someone seems to have driven into it

It never got fixed and now instead of beiong bent and attached to the floor, it's bent and free-standing (or free-wobbling)

 

[snorri]

I discovered Tesco don't care about cycle parking.
You could try speaking to the shop manager, or phoning the shop manager or writing to the shop manager or writing to the T***o head office. I did all four but it didn't do any good so now I just avoid all their stores nationwide and encourage others to do the same. The annoying thing is they still seem to be making a fortune.

 

[eddiemee]

The stands at the local Sainsbury's superstore are pretty rubbish too. They're fixed to the ground properly but they're wedge right up against one wall of the store so it's almost impossible to lock the frame to them. The only way to get it secure involves lots of scratching of the frame and I'm not prepared to sacrifice my paintwork when there's a perfectly good signpost ten yards away. One of the carpark staff had a go at me once for using this sign rather than the racks. I politely explained the poor design of the racks, to which they replied with words to the effect of 'not my problem, don't lock your bike to the pole'.

 

[Landslide]

It never got fixed and now instead of being bent and attached to the floor, it's ripe for re-location to a more concreted-in position in my local pub's beer garden.

Is this the one on Abbeydale Road, near the old cinema?

 

[Bman]

The stands at the local Sainsbury's superstore are pretty rubbish too. They're fixed to the ground properly but they're wedge right up against one wall of the store so it's almost impossible to lock the frame to them. The only way to get it secure involves lots of scratching of the frame and I'm not prepared to sacrifice my paintwork when there's a perfectly good signpost ten yards away. One of the carpark staff had a go at me once for using this sign rather than the racks. I politely explained the poor design of the racks, to which they replied with words to the effect of 'not my problem, don't lock your bike to the pole'.

"Oh it *is* your problem mate. As I *am* using this pole. Go sort it out with your manager"

 

[eldudino]

And this is the same Tesco who are now opening bike shops in certain stores?

 

[mcshroom]

And this is the same Tesco who are now opening bike shops in certain stores?

That would be so when your bike gets nicked from their stands you can "replace" it

 

[Lizban]

Just as an antidote my local Sainsbury's (North Greenwich) has two excellent bike stands - covered, close to the entrance (closer than the cars and disabled bays) and good solid fixing points.

Some do put the effort in

 

[Amanda P]

Evans in York recently moved across the road. Their old shop had Sheffield stands right outside the door. The new one had wheelbenders at the back of the car park.

But when I went on Sunday, the wheelbenders had been removed and there's nothing within about 100 yards to lock a bike to.

?

 

[StuartG]

Our local Sainsbury (Penge) has wheelbenders too. So cyclists lash their bikes to the thoughtfully extended 'sheffield bars' which protect the basket park.

 

[Davidc]

The edge of town Sainsburys here has wheelbenders, some people use them most use various railings or do what StaurtG reports.

Amazingly Tesco, the other side of town, has reasonable bike parking, as do Morrisons. Asda's is poor.

Interestingly the medium sized Sainsbury's in the town has bike racks around it, mostly council ones, and it's clear that they're getting significant sales volumes to cyclists. You'd think all of them would take note and realise that good cycle parking promotes sales, but it doesn't. Perhaps its the blinkering effect of the all pervasive social cancer of car culture.

 

[StuartG]

We really ought to agitate for some planning policy to cover this. Whenever there is a supermarket or Tesco/Sainsbury Local proposal - there is usually an objection over traffic/parking. If only the developers were encouraged to provide secure cycle parking as an amelioration.

Indeed if all larger retailers were compelled to provide, or pay for, cycle parking based on square footage our parking problems would be largely over. They get more trade and perhaps new converts to cycling as it gets easier and closer to park on 2 wheels than 4.

 

[Davidc]

Agree with what you say Stuart.

I do wonder whether at some point we may see retailers acting from self interest though. There are definitely more people shopping by bike than 10 or 15 years ago. Then there was next to no bike parking, and it had got to the stage that when I took my panniers into a shop and put my shopping in them I was looked at as if I'd landed from Mars. Now at least that has improved.

I have complained at a couple of supermarkets about the way the new self-service checkouts behave with panniers on them, and have even had my complaint acknowledged by Tesco! I'm still waiting for the <<using panniers?>> button to appear though! (How about some extra 'points' for shopping by bike?)

Rather than a load of bureaucracy in planning I'm sure a business rate charge for car spaces, and a 1 off for each 5 or 10 Sheffield stands would work much better and have an impact on existing shops.