I did my bit today for the cause!!

dubnut71

Maybe a small bit but it makes me feel slightly good none the less!

I am working on a number of projects at Heathrow and one of them is to improve the woeful cycle parking at terminal 5 which is underprovided, not very secure and not very easy to use.

So I met Anthony Lau today (see article herehttp://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/uk-cycle-parking-designers-win-top-us-award-19472) who is the award winning designer of cycle hoop.

Trust me you might not be able to see it from the renders in the article but its a breath of fresh air to actually have an architect who understands cycling rather than one who would consider a set of bent tubes stuck into the ground at random distances a "solution"

So hopefully the cyclepark will end up with a real cycling solution this time, when its open we will need to have a bikeradar event, it is perilously close to a Krispy Kreme donut outlet after all......... !!!!!!
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lost_in_thought

Fantastic! Good on you! I've tried to cycle to LHR T5 before, fortunately on a dry run before doing it to catch a flight, and couldn't even find cycle parking.

It'd be great to be able to cycle there and park... right outside the entrance please! Keep us updated! Yay!

Cafewanda

Good news! I'll expect my goldplated invite before too long then?

greg66_tri_v2.0

lost_in_thought wrote:

Fantastic! Good on you! I've tried to cycle to LHR T5 before, fortunately on a dry run before doing it to catch a flight, and couldn't even find cycle parking.

It'd be great to be able to cycle there and park... right outside the entrance please! Keep us updated! Yay!

This is a dumb question (as the answer must be "yes"), but I take it that there is road access to T5 other than from the M25 then? From which direction? (you can tell which way, and how, I get to T5...)

Fireblade96

Good man !

I used to take my motorbike to Heathrow fairly regularly, and use the bike park under the ramp at T1 - free parking and saved me loads of hassle with trying to get the coach from Reading. Not sure how airlines would react nowadays to someone in full motorbike leathers, carrying a crash helmet, but in pre-911 days it was fine.

OldSkoolKona

Nice one! Every little helps. People don't realise what they can achieve when they make the effort - sadly apathy rules in most cases, so big up for making the effort

beverick

dubnut71 wrote:

...........its a breath of fresh air to actually have an architect who understands cycling rather than one who would consider a set of bent tubes stuck into the ground at random distances a "solution"

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for improving cycle facilities but isn't the problem that installing "bent tubes in the ground" allows a box to be ticked for a few hundred quid whereas more elaborate solutions (such as the one mentioned) cost far more to deliver the same tick in the same box?

Bob

Sirius631

beverick wrote:

dubnut71 wrote:

...........its a breath of fresh air to actually have an architect who understands cycling rather than one who would consider a set of bent tubes stuck into the ground at random distances a "solution"

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for improving cycle facilities but isn't the problem that installing "bent tubes in the ground" allows a box to be ticked for a few hundred quid whereas more elaborate solutions (such as the one mentioned) cost far more to deliver the same tick in the same box?

Bob

Although the bent tubes are useful for on-street parking in town centres for short stops, we need to educate archiatechs that hoops are not appropriate for long term parking. Perhaps it's the planning authorities that need to be written to. After all, it is their say-so wether or not the box is ticked.

dubnut71

Greg66 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Fantastic! Good on you! I've tried to cycle to LHR T5 before, fortunately on a dry run before doing it to catch a flight, and couldn't even find cycle parking.

It'd be great to be able to cycle there and park... right outside the entrance please! Keep us updated! Yay!

This is a dumb question (as the answer must be "yes"), but I take it that there is road access to T5 other than from the M25 then? From which direction? (you can tell which way, and how, I get to T5...)

Good to know its not just me and the copious amounts of BA guys that cycle around Heathrow and to T5 then!!!

T5 is easily accessible from the A4 or the A30 if you re coming out of London. The routes around heathorw's perimiter road all have the provision for cycling into the Terminals. T123 are accessible through the side-bore tunnel which has a cycle lane in the centre of the roadway, T4 and T5 are accessible from the perimeter cycleway.

At the moment there are cycle parks and over 800 people are estimated to cycle to the airport daily, the cycle parks are not exactly world class though, something I might be able to make better!!!!!

Cycyle path map here:

http://www.heathrowairport.com/assets/I ... rcycle.pdf

Rich158

Sirrius, it's not neecesarily the architects that are the problem. Planning requirements are often woefully inadequate when it comes to the provision of cycle parking for commercial units, and policy is decided at a local level rather than national so is at the mercy of individual local authorities and local councillors, for whom the issue is rather low on the agenda. Typically it's the client who dictates where the cycle parking is located. They can't get out of it as it's provision is generaly a condition of their planning consent, but they're not going to give up valuable floor space they can charge rent for, for the sake of a few bikes. Therefore cycle parking usually ends up squeezed into the most inacessible places.

It's good to see T5 have taken a more enlightened approach, I hope it all goes well. The only way to change the entrenched attitude of the client towards cycle parking is by showing them how succesful, prestigious schemes such as this one can benefit them financially.

I'll get off my high horse now

dubnut71

Rich158 wrote:

Sirrius, it's not neecesarily the architects that are the problem. Planning requirements are often woefully inadequate when it comes to the provision of cycle parking for commercial units, and policy is decided at a local level rather than national so is at the mercy of individual local authorities and local councillors, for whom the issue is rather low on the agenda. Typically it's the client who dictates where the cycle parking is located. They can't get out of it as it's provision is generaly a condition of their planning consent, but they're not going to give up valuable floor space they can charge rent for, for the sake of a few bikes. Therefore cycle parking usually ends up squeezed into the most inacessible places.

It's good to see T5 have taken a more enlightened approach, I hope it all goes well. The only way to change the entrenched attitude of the client towards cycle parking is by showing them how succesful, prestigious schemes such as this one can benefit them financially.

I'll get off my high horse now

Rich Indeed its not the architects fault as they do only work in the guidelines planners/clients and others supply them with. In this case I am merely the project manager who is charged with developing a solution for cycle parking, its important to me personally that the solution is a great one not just a fair one for cyclists. The difference with this is to find an architect like Anthony who does seem to understand the point to a greater degree than the conventional guys I would normally use.

Rich158

I share your frustration, as an architect who is a mad keen cyclist it's heartbreaking to be involved in projects where the cycle provision is wholly inadequate. The sad fact is that cycle parking is seen as a neccesary evil that's required to get planning permission and no more.

I'll say no more, I could rant ad-inifinitum about this.

chuckcork

I too in being an architectural person could go on about cycle parking on projects.

One project we put in plenty of parking for a cimema project, but around the back of the cimema, off a busy one-way system, no direct access into the foyer and around a 200m walk to the front. I doubt there was even signage that there was parking at all, let along any kind of meaningful security arranegments.

Abso-f*cking-lutely useless.

Not supringlly everyone simply locked their bikes to the railings at the front of the building.

After a while the building managers must have got fed up with this, they installed cycle hoops at the front instead.

PS, bad for cyclists but the rear area of the building, a long, long way from the front, was also the disabled parking as well! The disabled groups consulated were asked if they wanted better i.e. direct access into the foyer but declined, I doubt that the parking has even been used as a result.