17/18th June - Patrick sees the times are changing!

Patrick writes... 


After a long morning clearing-up lawns and hedges I took advantage of a nice afternoon to ease the bones and head out for a 30 minute cycle to meet a friend for a relaxing coffee in the Carrigaline Court Hotel. Great not having to worry about parking or so I thought. Came across four bike stands but all occupied! Wow.. maybe that's a good thing in many ways - the times they are a changing!


Wondering why the provision of bike parking was not made a condition of planning when such hotels were being built or extended? Or maybe it was conditioned but they were never provided?! Might have to go somewhere else next time if no handy parking available. Who said 'If you build it they will come'.


Still can't beat the old standby of parking against a public light pole on the street. 

Check out these tips to LOCK YOUR BIKE SECURELY  to be sure its still there when you return!! 

Will be lying low tomorrow - training for another major milestone on Sunday, i.e. the Family Fun Cycle from Passage to Blackrock Castle  with my fellow Operation Transportation participant Thomas.

Over and out for now

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22nd June 2014, Anthony shares some ideas to promote biking to work

Secure Bike Storage Could Make all the Difference to Commuters

Anthony writes:

I found that participating in Operation Transportation was a great way to discover areas around where I live that I wouldn't have bothered to go to.

 

Cycling opens out  the wonders of your world and provides new perspectives on life, as realised by Anthony and Calvin's father in the cartoon above from:
http://usjgreenriders.blogspot.ie/2011/10/cartoon-of-week_20.html

I’ve also just been given a key to the secure bike shed at work (in Arup) where they have been having meetings on how to encourage their workforce to cycle to work. A few minutes a day does make a difference to your overall cardio fitness I think. 

As bikes can be quite expensive these days it’s good to see companies making an effort to secure your bikes while you're at work rather than just providing a bike shelter.

There are many Bike Shelters to choose from some more secure than others..

Picture credits: Top left: http://thebulletin.ca/bike-lockers-offer-low-cost-waterfront-parking/ 

2nd down on Left:  http://www.leisurebuildings.com/acatalog/safestore-single-secure-locker-bike-shed.html

3rd down on Left: 

http://www.bikelocker.ie/  

4th down on Left:  http://www.themiamibikescene.com/2010/09/secure-bicycle-parking-university.html 

Bottom left: http://www.joemattleydesign.co.uk/work/wave-bicycle-parking-2/

 Underneath to the right: a runner up in London Cycling Campaigns best Cycling Facility Awards 2011, Lambeth Council's Vauxhall bike lockers: http://lcc.org.uk/pages/best-cycling-facility 

Second photo below on the right:  http://www.bikecare.co.uk/cycle_shelters.html

I'm afraid it’s too easy to cut a bike lock and steal the bike, so I hope that other companies may review the security of their bike storage areas and advertise it to their staff. 

If you have a bike that lingers uncycled in a shed
 for fear of bike theft elsewhere, why not ask your
employer or colleagues to invest in some secure
bike storage? Image from:
 http://blog.supersizedbikes.com/2010/12/bicycle-lore/bike-in-garage-cartoon/

I think this could make all the difference in people’s attitude to cycle commuting.

Anyway, I hope that Operation Transportation is just the start of a series of measures to promote cycling and not simply a one off.  

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK and keep us posted of any other events.

Regards, Anthony

Editorial Footnote:

Bike lockers are only as good as the lock that secures them. Some secure bicycle stores are locked electronically  like the bicycle parking facility in Lexington, Baltimore, where over 50 bicycles can be parked in a fenced area, accessible only with a keycard pass. 

Photo from: http://www.bmorebikes.com/category/parking/#sthash.RN1KBtso.dpuf 

However many of the lockers depicted in between Anthony's text, require padlocks -which may be broken with varying degrees of ease. The following video gives some advice on choosing the best padlock:

How to Choose the best Padlock