Popped to Tesco on the way home...

[Davidc]

I was thinking more of a simpler list of towns and districts of cities, and a name & location of any cycle friendly supermarkets.

To get the listing I'd want to see a minimum of Sheffield stands properly fixed, in a high visibility position near the entrance. Covered would merit a star rating and just using bolts would mean no rating.

Although it would only be a snapshot of one part of the country, it would be informative to see your results for supermarkets in South Yorkshire.

Not something I've thought about much but I suspect the only ways forward on this are as an add on to business rates, or when enough cyclists either use the cycle friendly shops to be noticed, or make a nuisance of themselves fixing bikes to trolley barriers and railings.

I'm surprised that the big stores don't notice that the stands in town here are full on fine days, 2/3 with shoppers and 1/3 commuters, and that many bikes leave with full racks and panniers, bags dangling from handle bars and so on. It's nothing like the trade from car users, but enough to be useful to any retailer.

The duty manager of Sainsburys edge of town store asked me last week why I was locking my bike to railings and not using their racks. he seemed quite surprised when I pointed out that the racks bend wheels, don't meet insurers minimum standards for security, and are in a stupid place. All amicable and I filled in yet another of their suggestion forms for him. On the back of talking to him he counted the bikes at the shop and added that to the form (I think it was 26).

 

[summerdays]

I've said before about how my nearest Tesco's value's it's shoppers who arrive by bike. For my nearest store it took years of occasional complaints to get the 3 stands increased to 6 (badly bolted down). Then they moved the stands:
http://www.cycle-cafe.net/forums/showthread.php?t=47640
and the council planning department don't see a problem with it. I've complained to the Cycle City team that it isn't very joined up to promote cycling on one hand and allow supermarkets to install rubbish cycle parking. Luckily I notice all my local cyclists are using the newly installed trolley stands as cycle parking instead of the official stands which are hardly ever used. And if you use the right set then its under cover too.

 

[Norm]

I have never cycled to my nearest JS and Streetview doesn't get close enough to the front of the store to check what cycle stands they do have. Maybe something for me to do in the morning.

*Norm smacks forehead with palm*

I just went past the local JS but forgot 1) my camera and 2) my lock so I haven't followed up on this one yet. I didn't see any provision for cyclists from the road but I didn't go in and look too closely as I couldn't stop anyway. That and it was cold and wet out there and I wanted a coffee.

 

[marinyork]

*Norm smacks forehead with palm*

I just went past the local JS but forgot 1) my camera and 2) my lock so I haven't followed up on this one yet. I didn't see any provision for cyclists from the road but I didn't go in and look too closely as I couldn't stop anyway. That and it was cold and wet out there and I wanted a coffee.

No worries . If you do get some info I'll quite happily add it to the open cycle map. I didn't add that much in the past as I was focusing on non-private cycle parking and only started doing those more recently. P.S. that and the lack of detail constrained things considerably.

 

[marinyork]

I was thinking more of a simpler list of towns and districts of cities, and a name & location of any cycle friendly supermarkets.

To get the listing I'd want to see a minimum of Sheffield stands properly fixed, in a high visibility position near the entrance. Covered would merit a star rating and just using bolts would mean no rating.

Although it would only be a snapshot of one part of the country, it would be informative to see your results for supermarkets in South Yorkshire.

Yes, I suppose that's fair enough criteria, brutal but keeps stuff down to a minimum. Hmmm that's quite interesting as it measures goodness rather than a % or overall impression. I'd have to think about that but on friendly stores of any size rather than a percentage approach then Co-op would probably win round here and then sainsburys, then tescos, followed by morrisons and the newbie Aldi . ASDA and waitrose would be towards the bottom and suffer because there are so few of them and the stricter criteria. Various other supermarkets like premier, netto, lidl, spar etc wouldn't even get an honourable mention!

I spend too much time doing new builds and private these days. Problem was when starting out I didn't record so much data and there are some erm towns that I have little desire to go back to . That said I've started to come round to the view that I should add private stands with public access to the open cycle map and my doodlings as various people have said now that it is of some use.

 

[Norm]

Hmmm.... Waitrose, JS, Tesco... I have an idea for a theme for my ride on Wednesday (already busy tomorrow )

 

[marinyork]

Well we don't have many waitrose, there is a strange lack of waitroses in barnsley, rotherham, doncaster .

 

[Norm]

I wasn't planning on getting quite that far outside the Thames Valley.

 

[jeltz]

Slightly off tack sorry but I was at a retail park the other day and they had bike parking which were basically wheel stands mounted on a wall (i.e. vertical) , so you could either get your front or rear wheel in and lock it to them. However, a quick release wheel (or even a spanner for a wheel without QR) would part the expensive bit of the bike from the secure stand.

I bet they cost a bit but are of no practical use.

 

[surfgurl]

I am currently writing a letter to the manager of the local Morrisons store to suggest they fit new cycle racks. When the store was run by a different company you were able to lock your bike to the trolley bays. Morrisons changed the location and style of their trolley bays so you can't use them anymore. However the ancient cycle racks are still in place. There are 7 wheel stands. One is broken off and three are held on by one loose screw. They are also too close together to fit bikes in, not to mention the problem with quick release wheels.

 

[Davidc]

Don't hold your breath Surfgurl!

 

[sheddy]

Tescos ? - now go and wash your mouth out