Why no bike space/rack in many supermarkets?

Moonbiker

Local Aldi & Lidl etc have zero bike parking, bit annoying especially as they just expanded the carparking area.

Would only take 1 car space to make space for say 5 bikes.....

cooldad

Obviously they are high end shops and don't want poor bicycle riding scum lowering the tone.

Moonbiker

I think Waitrose has a few spaces, utility cycing is only for people who pop into waitrose for an artisanal loaf,& visit the deli counter, for some humus.

For the "alternative" ethincal cosumer types making a lifestyle statement to post on instagram.

craigus89

Whereas if you're going to Lidl on a bike you probably have a pocket full of crack and are looking to offload it.

You can see why they discourage it.

keef66

Why are you asking us? Why not ask the store manager? Who knows, they may welcome your feedback and install something suitable.

Our Waitrose has a lovely, under-utilised bike shelter with plenty of racks.

And still most of their customers try to park their pointless 4x4s as close as they can to the doors, presumably so they don't have to waddle too far to get their free but completely unnecessary coffee in a non-recyclable paper cup.

fenix

My Brompton comes with me round the shops. I've not noticed if they have racks outside to be honest.

I think it's worth speaking to Aldi - after all they have the Brownlees advertising for them and their bike kit goes down well ?

Moonbiker

Whereas if you're going to Lidl on a bike you probably have a pocket full of crack and are looking to offload it.

You can see why they discourage it.

Halfords Apollo mtb with a useful plastic bag on handles bars.

davebradswmb

Around here there just isn't any call for a bike rack at the big supermarkets. This might have something to do with the poor road infrastructure around the retail park which has been designed to prioritise cars with the result that cycle access is awkward or dangerous. I have no problem finding something to chain my bike to at Sainsbury's, there isn't any competition for spaces.

What gets me is that the local Halfords doesn't provide any bike racks and they're supposed to be a bike shop, and for whatever reason none of the barriers or posts around the store entrance are suitable for chaining a bike to.

dstev55

In terms of Aldi/Lidl, it's probably the same reason they don't have things such as seats for customers behind checkouts or wheelchairs for customers to borrow. They are "no frills" supermarkets, this is the reason they can charge what they do. If you want these extras then be prepared to pay more for your shopping.

Moonbiker

They have "shrubbery" out side round therere new carpark which they pay gardeners to maintain.

keef66

And that's the problem. Cycling infrastructure is seen as optional, nice to have, additional cost rather than being designed in from the start. The planners should insist on it. Aldi and Lidl aren't excused fire escapes or allowed sub-standard building materials or wiring just so we can have cheap stuff.

A bike rack is hardly a frothy luxury item for a privileged minority group. More bike use means fewer car journeys and healthier people. Encouraging cycling has benefits beyond the individual

CitizenLee

Are there no trolley parks or lampposts in the car park?

cooldad

It's Aldi/Lidl - just chain the bike to the nearest comatose drunk hobo.

dstev55

cooldad wrote:

It's Aldi/Lidl - just chain the bike to the nearest comatose drunk hobo.

I think that theory can be applied to any supermarket maybe other than Waitrose/M&S!

Bottom briquettes

Moonbiker wrote:

Local Aldi & Lidl etc have zero bike parking, bit annoying especially as they just expanded the carparking area.

Would only take 1 car space to make space for say 5 bikes.....

Take the bike in with you, they’ve never said anything when I’ve done it.

dstev55

keef66 wrote:

And that's the problem. Cycling infrastructure is seen as optional, nice to have, additional cost rather than being designed in from the start. The planners should insist on it. Aldi and Lidl aren't excused fire escapes or allowed sub-standard building materials or wiring just so we can have cheap stuff.

A bike rack is hardly a frothy luxury item for a privileged minority group. More bike use means fewer car journeys and healthier people. Encouraging cycling has benefits beyond the individual

But you could apply that theory to pretty much everything you find in the so called big 4 but don't in the German discounters. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and I'm assuming it's been drawn before money could be taken out of the pot to fit a bike rack.

As others have said, find a lamp post or just lock it to the trolley bay. A bit of a non-issue in all honesty.

jgsi

Not that I like Tesco, but they do have full undercover parking at the local store and enough locking racks.
The bike feels safe.
ASDA -- nothing , and in full view , unprotected and vulnerable to anything left over 10 mintes , say on a Saturday afternoon. Nobody would get involved with an angle grinding equipped bod.
Morrisons, also less than welcoming to 2 wheeled fiends who cannot spend enough with just a rucksack to fill.
Companies not really likely to spend on things like

Moonbiker

And that's the problem. Cycling infrastructure is seen as optional, nice to have, additional cost rather than being designed in from the start. The planners should insist on it. Aldi and Lidl aren't excused fire escapes or allowed sub-standard building materials or wiring just so we can have cheap stuff.

A bike rack is hardly a frothy luxury item for a privileged minority group. More bike use means fewer car journeys and healthier people. Encouraging cycling has benefits beyond the individual

Exactly

thistle_

dstev55 wrote:

In terms of Aldi/Lidl, it's probably the same reason they don't have things such as seats for customers behind checkouts or wheelchairs for customers to borrow.

Our new Aldi has bike stands, they are at the "front" of the supermarket away from the entrance which is on the side. They made a big deal about it in their planning application and the fact that they were providing a cycle path to the car park (not near the bike stands).

All the local supermarkets here have done the same - they have bike parking but not near the entrance, often hidden away around some corner out of sight.

Our local authority used to have a planning guidance note saying bike parking should be provided at supermarkets, it should be near the entrance, in a busy well used, well lit area and gave a minimum number of stands to be provided. Magically, this guidance note has disappeared from their website and they deny all knowledge of it (just like their highway maintenance policy, and their cycling policy )

kingdav

I'd like to see some bike lockers ideally, so I don't need to carry a hefty lock and worry about my bike while I'm shopping.

snorri

Lidl have the best cycle parking of supermarkets in my locality. Covered, easily accessible and close to store entrance.
I complained to Lidl HQ regarding the quality of their cycle parking(wheelbenders) whilst the store was still under construction, they accepted my criticism and came up with an installation that would be difficult to fault.

cycleclinic

Almost no one rides to the supermarket. Non demand means no bike rack.

big_harv

Top marks to Colchester Tesco then. Ample racks and bike paths all around. I suppose being near 2 schools helps.

Shame their produce is such kack.

SJH76

thecycleclinic wrote:

Almost no one rides to the supermarket. Non demand means no bike rack.

I was thinking this. I mean, if you're heading to the supermarket chances are you're going to be buying groceries. That's not to say people don't just pop in for the odd item but on the balance of things, adding more bicycle bays isn't going to encourage more people to ride their bikes to the supermarket. And even if they did they are not going to effect their profits enough to care.

cougie

thecycleclinic wrote:

Almost no one rides to the supermarket. Non demand means no bike rack.

What about the workers ? Plenty can cycle to work if there's facilities. No need to fill spaces with worker's cars then.

jgsi

thecycleclinic wrote:

Almost no one rides to the supermarket. Non demand means no bike rack.

Nice to see the 'mindset' of British management mirrored so succinctly.

I daresay some retailers will be pampering at some point to the well heeled customer in their monstrosity of an electric SUV before thinking about a secure place to park a bicycle..
Why Is it the assumption that cyclists will spend only 99p on a carton milk?

dstev55

cougie wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

Almost no one rides to the supermarket. Non demand means no bike rack.

What about the workers ? Plenty can cycle to work if there's facilities. No need to fill spaces with worker's cars then.

In terms of Lidl/Aldi there is never any more than 10 people working in store at once even in the busier stores and for the odd person that does cycle to work their bike can be left somewhere inside.

ZMC888

<cycnical rant>

There's no demand for cycle racks. Almost nodody uses them anyhow. Most people like 98-99% don't care and are perfectly happy in a car, even if its diesel and hurts the lungs of small children and damages their health permanently. Some people care, but of that 1-2% that do most are just posturing, like buying the Guardian or prentending to be progressive because they were like that at 'uni' and can't change their outlook, but drive their car anyway because 'it's a bit hilly' 'too much stuff to take' 'rainy' or 'far'.

The people that actually cycle to a supermarket are so few they are 0.1% and lock their bike up to some railings or something, and more than half of those are school kids picking something up for their mum, people with down syndrome, epilepsy or banned drunk drivers. The other half of that 0.1% are adults that actually give a s**t and do something about it, but are made to feel like scum at every turn for 'being in the way' being 'middle aged' or sometimes even 'wearing lycra'. Criminal. For the unintiated foreign human those things seem very petty in the scheme of things, but the UK taboid media has pulled the strings of the normal British person so hard that they are triggered into fury by almost nothing, yet crimes against humanity and nature are never mentioned or if they are, barely raise an eybrow.

</cycnical rant>

dstev55

Bad morning? :roll:

Matthewfalle

i'm going to use my Pashley to go to the supermarket to remind how impractical it is to bring a week's worth of food and wine and cleaning stuff for a family of four home on a bicycle as opposed to using my car.

shirley_basso

My basket will fit a 6 bottle case of wine, a large slice of salami and a wedge of cheese to hold it all in place.

The silly thing being that out of town superstores could install bike racks without much impact to the car parking provision (2 car spaces lost?) and the inner city smaller ones would benefit from them as you can't really drive there anyway.