Cycle parking victory for ibikelondon!

Remember this post about the shocking lack of bike parking provided at the stations on the brand new billion pound East London Line? 

You'll recall that the new muliti-million pound Dalston Junction bus and train station had opened without a single cycle parking stand, despite Transport for London's own standards stating that "Secure cycle parking should be incorporated in new developments that have the potential to attract new cyclists."  New Zone 1 station Shoreditch High Street had been provided with just 6 stands, despite the rules that at Zone 1 stations there should be one bicycle parking space for every 200 people entering the station...

So far, so depressing... I was less curious to know if TfL and it's team of architects had totally over-looked their own guidelines (or chosen to ignore them), but more importantly to try to find out what could be done to improve the situation.  We are, after all, going to need considerably more than a handful of cycle stands at new stations if we are ever going to really have a 'velorution'.  Following my initial blog post, questions were asked, letters were written.  The Mayor himself, Boris Johnson, was questioned at the Assembly.  I've just had the following news, which I am thrilled to share:



Parking space for 180 bicycles will be installed at the following four new stations: 

Shoreditch High Street will have a further 19 stands installed to compliment it's existing 6, providing space for 50 bicycles.

Dalston Junction will have 15 stands installed on rail land, and be complimented by a further 25 stands provided by the London Borough of Hackney at Dalston Square, providing cycle parking for 80 bicycles.

Haggerston will provide space for 38 bicycles, whereas previously there were just 5 cycle stands.  Again, Hackney will also install further complimentary stands nearby in addition.

When complete, Hoxton station will have space for 62 bicycles.

There are ongoing land use issues at the older re-styled stations at Wapping, Whitechapel and Rotherhithe.  Cycle parking at Shadwell is now under review.  The 6 stands at Surrey Quays are all that the space constraints at the station allow, according to TfL so there will be no change there.

Whilst we're not talking about Dutch standards here (remember Assen, the town with a population of 65,000 and 2,300 bike parking spaces at it's local station?!), it's certainly an improvement on the previous situation. 

What concerns me most is that it took complaints by cyclists just to get the facilities we need provided in the first place.  The Mayor and Transport for London (of which he is Chair) have policies telling them all they need to know when it comes to designing in the needs of cyclists.  Indeed, the Mayor's own 10 point plan for creating a 'cycling revolution' in the capital states that there must be "an increase in secure cycle-parking on streets, in workplaces, and at stations and schools".  So what is happening here?  Do actions really speak louder than words?  As work begins across the city on London's new Crossrail stations, London's cyclists are watching...