28 March 2017 -
Residents joined the celebrations as the 100th bike hangar was installed in Waltham Forest since 2015, meaning more people than ever can park their bikes safely and securely outside their homes in the borough.
The 100th bike hangar was installed in Carr Road in Walthamstow, following requests from local residents. Waltham Forest Council is planning to install over 25 more hangars on residential streets over the next few months, following unprecedented demand from local residents.
Cllr Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment said: “We’ve had an incredible response to our bike hangar scheme, and it’s great that we’ve now hit 100 across the borough. We’ve had thousands of requests for additional locations since we introduced the scheme, and many of our hangars are already oversubscribed. This goes to show how many people are choosing to make their journeys by bike in the borough, rather than taking the car.
“We are not able to fulfil every request we have for a bike hangar due to huge levels of demand from residents, but we will continue to provide as many as we can across the borough. It’s just one of the ways we are making it easier and more convenient for our residents to get out and about using more sustainable modes of transport.”
Bike hangars were introduced in the borough to help residents who cycle, or those who would like to cycle but have difficulty finding space to store their bike securely at home. Each bike hangar can store up to six bikes, and they take up just half a car parking space on a residential road.
Residents are able to make requests to the Council if they would like on their street, and consultation is held with local households each time a new location is proposed. Residents just have to pay a small annual fee for using a bike hangar, as well as a refundable deposit for the key.
Carr Road resident Lawrence Walker said: “I’ve been supportive of the scheme since I first heard about it. The flats on this road make it quite difficult for storing bikes, so it’s great to have shared space where we can store our bikes safely outside our houses.”
Waltham Forest Council has introduced a number of schemes to improve transport for residents, and earlier this month it was named Transport Borough of the Year at the London Transport Awards. The borough’s Mini-Holland programme is making it easier and safer to walk and cycle, and a number of other positive changes have been implemented across the borough including road safety initiatives, pedestrian priority measures including new blended ‘Copenhagen’ crossings, improved wayfinding, safer traffic-free public areas and bus priority measures.
