Bike Parking, of itself, does not encourage people to cycle but it plays a key role in ensuring that people do continue to cycle. As the bike modal share in Cork rises in the coming years, bike parking solutions will be required year on year. The Campaign welcomes the initial role out of bike parking in 2020 and looks forward to continued engagement with Cork City Council on this matter in the coming months and years.
Our recommendations sent to Cork City Council in January 2021 include:
Cargo Bike and Mobility Aids
Over the last number of years, Cork has seen a significant increase in the number of people using cargo bikes as well as mobility bikes(Tricycles, handcycles etc) for a variety of means such as: commuting or travelling with children; daily shopping; deliveries by local businesses; and means of navigating the city.
Cork Cycling Campaign recommends to Cork City Council that all future bike parking locations, where possible, also facilitate space for cargo and mobility aids. The example image provided is from Dublin City Council which shows a dedicated space for cargo/mobility bikes with the lower level
“Sheffield” style, dedicated surface colouring and logos to differentiate.
Style and Orientation of Bike Parking
Another concern of users of bicycle parking across the city is the orientation to the road on which the stands are placed. Stands should be accessible directly, where possible, from the road as this prevents
2 cyclists from having to cycle on footpaths to access and prevents conflict with pedestrians in inserting and removing bikes from said stands.
This issue is often eliminated with the use of the aforementioned “Sheffield” style stands as these are accessible from both front and back if not placed against a wall. The below diagram shows the most ideal angle and placement of stands which are orientated at 45 degrees aligned to the dominant direction of travel. Also included in the diagram is space for large cycles and mobility aids.
On-street bike parking trial
Many cities in Europe are trailing locations for stands via removable stands placed in existing vehicle parking spaces. This could be facilitated in a collaboration between Cork City Council and social enterprises like Bench Space ( https://benchspacecork.ie/ )
The aim of this method is to trail the demand for bicycle parking at a particular location while also keeping stands off footpaths and public plazas and eliminating conflict between bicyclists and pedestrians.
New suggested bike parking locations
- Barack Street
- Bell’s Field
- City Hall
- Dillion’s Cross
- Douglas Street
- Japanese Gardens Playground
- Mayfield (SuperValu)
- Shalom Park
- South Main Street
- Tramore Valley Park