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Cycling: Londoners share bike storage issues as part of campaign

Clean Cities Campaign Bikes hanging from a balconyClean Cities Campaign
Bikes hanging from a balcony in Lambeth

Londoners have been posting images of the awkward places they have to keep their bikes, as part of a campaign to improve cycle storage in the capital.

A Freedom of Information request by the Clean Air Coalition has shown that more than 60,000 people in the city are on a waiting list for bike storage hangars.

The photos are being uploaded to Twitter, captioned #ThisIsAwkward.

The Clean Cities Campaign is urging councillors to make bike storage "cheap" and "convenient" for cyclists.

The images show bikes positioned awkwardly in homes, including in kitchens and bathrooms.

A two-week advertisement campaign is set to be launched at the end of March, with the photos being displayed on billboards in Southwark and Islington.

Clean Cities Campaign Two bikes parked next to a toiletClean Cities Campaign
Demand for hangars is three-times higher than current supply

Bikes hangars are secure storage units in residential areas which can be accessed with a key.

According to the Metropolitan Police, more than 21,000 bikes were stolen in London last year.

Oliver Lord, UK head of Clean Cities Campaign, said councillors were "failing" Londoners.

"More than 60,000 Londoners are waiting for a bike hangar space - and that is just the people lucky to have the time and energy to put their name forward," he said.

"If councillors want to help Londoners jump on a bike and use their car less then they have to make it as easy as possible. Forcing people to do the 'cycle salsa' at home isn't just an inconvenience, it's utterly unfair given the abundance of space set aside for cars on our streets."

Clean Cities Campaign Bike leaning against a bedroom wallClean Cities Campaign
A bike parked in a Lewisham bedroom

Inner-city boroughs appear to be struggling the most, with Southwark, Islington and Camden having the longest waiting lists.

The Clean Air Campaign attributes this to these areas having a lack of space and a high percentage of the population living in flats.

Eilidh Murray, the campaign coordinator for Cycle Islington, a north London group attempting to improve conditions for cyclists, said she had grown tired of the wait to provide safer cycle storage.

"Safer, quieter streets and decent cycle routes are being rolled out in Islington but we need to enable people to use them easily," she said. "Who wants to heave a bike up flights of stairs?"

"There are nearly 7,000 people in Islington waiting for a space in a secure bike hangar - let's just crack on and get this fixed."

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