Cycling campaign suggests Cardiff should follow London’s example to build cycle hangers to encourage more short rides.
Local cycling campaigners are calling on the city council and supermarket chains to add cycle hangers due to the rising bike’s theft.
Cardiff Cycle City is pushing for building more robust bicycle storage facilities that can accommodate cargo bikes and e-bikes to reach the net zero goal.
“If you go to London, you can see on the street, they have these things called cycle hangers. It’s like a big sort of box with a lift up lid, and secured with an app to unlock it. They are very robust and difficult to break into,” said Dan Allsobrook, a campaigner from the group. “If these can be built at supermarkets, people would feel a lot more confident about leaving their bike outside and choose to ride rather than drive.”
In 2023, 1,398 bikes were reported stolen in Cardiff, making it the second most-affected city in the UK for bicycle theft. The city had to stop a cycle hire scheme in 2023 after thousands of bikes were stolen or vandalized.
Dan said, “The Council is committed to net zero and addressing issues of climate change. They’re trying to discourage people from using cars for short journeys like supermarket, but theft is a big obstacle.”
The recent survey conducted by the group shows that while larger supermarket chains often have more bike racks, these are not always secure enough to prevent theft. Bike storage at some stores especially those near the road is easy to break and is not monitored by CCTV cameras.
Locking and storage can be more difficult for cargo bikes due to the shortage of parking space and bike-compatible trolleys or baskets. Electronic cargo bikes become a new trend with a forecast of 60% increase in sales because the increased urgency on climate change and agreements to reach net zero.
Compaigners want to see effective collaboration between supermarkets, the council, and law enforcement to ensure any bike thefts are properly addressed.” There is a business case for them doing, you know, they can spend a few couple of 1000 pounds in the cycle hang, and people will come and shop in shop because it’s safe,” said Dan.
The cycling organisation plans to raise these concerns at the next meeting of the council’s Active Travel Liaison Group, where they hope to work with officials on developing solutions. In the meantime, they are also using social media to encourage more local cyclists to get involved in the campaign.
