London shows Canberra what is possible

Parking

Location, location, location

Bike parking needs to be conveniently located and easy to use by people of all abilities. They need to be close to riders’ destinations, such as shops/markets, medical services, libraries, and sporting facilities. Ideally facilities should be covered, and lockable. Ideas to trial in the ACT include these two from overseas, as well as two-tiered racks used in Manly NSW and by TransPerth in Western Australia.

Manly wharf.

A suburban railway station in Perth

Breda, Netherlands. One of five free locations across the city of 100,000 people. (Free during daylight hours, one euro if stored overnight. Prices as of July 2022).

Rotterdam, Netherlands, operated by Rotterdam City Council

A Bike Hangar from Cyclehoop. London, UK.

Southend-On-Sea, England.

Car and bike storage, and daylighting (curb extensions and greater visibility near intersections) Ghent, Belgium.

Racks

These at Westfield Belconnen are great, but there’s no kerb ramps. How can you access them if you’re hauling children on a cargo bike, or have limited mobility and can’t lift your front wheel? Why do shopping centres treat people outside cars with such hostility?

A bike parked in front of a row of racks which are too close to a wall. Instead of 8 bikes, only 4 can park here.

Shopping centre/market managers, please avoid bullshit like this at Capital Food Markets Belconnen. It tells people on bikes – especially larger bikes like tricycles, cargo bikes and recumbents – that they are not welcome. We’ll shop elsewhere.

Locks

Buy the best U-locks/D-locks you can afford. We use brands OnGuard and Abus, and have heard good reports about Hiplok. Don’t waste your time getting $10 cables. They can be cut in seconds.

We use three locks most of the time, and always fix our frames to a solid pole or rack.