Quick Quiz: What does the above picture show?
a. a cycle stand at the Central Post Office in Ulan Bator, Mongolia
b. car park at Moshoeshoe International Airport, Maseru, Lesotho
c. warehouse at the Calcutta Tea Exchange
Answer: None of the above. It is the totality of cycle parking facilities at the new Eurostar Station in Central London, capital of Thirld World Country, Great Britain.
Wishing not to sound like Dr. Watson, this is another example that British Transport Authorities are intellectually challenged.
Camden Cycling Campaign tells us that not only is space inadequate, unsecure and a five minute walk from the ticket office, but getting to the station by bicycle has been made more dangerous by unnecessary one-way’s, wrongly designed cycle lanes and missing signage. It is worth remembering that in the past twelve months, THREE WOMEN HAVE BEEN KILLED BY DRIVERS WITHIN 500m OF THE STATION.
And these Transport idiots have the courage of writing:
Everything at St Pancras International has been designed from the visitor’s point of view. More research has been commissioned, more customer profiles analysed, and more habits and preferences studied than for any British railway station.
The precise choice of shops, food, brands and services is being matched to the customer preferences of a new customer: one who seeks quality, individuality and above all experience.
If your blood is boiling, join the protest on the 14th November.
UPDATE: Ironically, on the same day, London is hosting an International Conference: Rail Station Development 2007:
Senior (CEO and director level) speakers from across the globe will provide attendees with essential information and practical experiences. Issues to be addressed will include:
* Financing station development/re-development
* Design, build and station planning
* Understanding passenger use
* Facility design, layout, customer flow and service
* Maximising supplementary income – commercial opportunities
* Delivery of projects
* Commercial opportunities for property companies presented by station development
It seems that the developers of Saint Pancras focused on point 5 and forgot point 3 and 4.
UPDATE 14.11.7
Here is a picture of the demo, by Niamheen:
They are ridiculous. It amazes me these people actually end up designing the facilities in our towns and cities. Clearly they’ve never locked up a bike in their lives.
Personally, I’m a fan of the Sheffield stand. Those stupid racks they’ve installed are useless because you can’t get a d lock round it well.
Clearly in no way an afterthought, but an integral part of the deign from the outset …
Appalling.
[...] Velorution, London’s urban cycle store Quick Quiz: What does the above picture show? a. a cycle stand at the Central Post Office in Ulan Bator, Mongolia b. car park at Moshoeshoe International Airport, Maseru, Lesotho c. warehouse at the Calcutta Tea Exchange Answer: None of the above. It is the totality of cycle parking facilities at the new Eurostar Station in Central London, capital of Thirld World Country, Great Britain. Wishing not to sound like Dr. Watson , this is another example that British Transport [...]
Anyone who cycles will recognise the inherent problem with these sorts of bike parking – which is all they are. Looks like someone thought, oh lets get some bike parking and went down Halfords.
We use these at work but all they are within a large locked cage that only cyclists have access to (we also have a security camera on the entrance) so that is ok, but in a public space, crazy.
I just don’t get it, this country seems hell bent on asking us to not use our car but only provides car drivers with all they need.
[...] St Pancrass (sic) bike parking This is a great example of how not to set up bike parking at a train station. [...]
That is truly pitiful. Are those wheel benders even bolted down?
Here’s a question, though: Was there an advisory committee or public hearings of any kind through which the station designers received input from interested parties? If so, why weren’t cyclists involved *before* the design mistakes were made?
Rather than just bad planning, unfortunately Gordon B. is worried cyclists might blow people up (Bombs By Bike? Suicide Cyclists?), so us cyclists are another victim of this vague War on Terror.
“_How to terror-proof shopping centres and other buildings_”
“How do you terror-proof a major public building without turning it into a fortress? Benches and water walls are in, bike racks could be out and those pretty shrubs… they’ll need to be well pruned.”
…
“He fears the penalty will be paid by innocents like cyclists who will no longer have bike facilities, a problem highlighted at St Pancras and the Emirates Stadium.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7095884.stm
Tour de Bicycling Blogs 10: Prague, Toronto and London, Oh My!…
Ladies, and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Cyclists, and non-cyclists! Welcome to the 10th edition of The Tour de Bicycling Blogs! (My apologies for going over 13 months since the last one!) I thought it would be appropriate to get a…