Council Signs £3million Bike Hangar Deal
Over 500 more could be installed in Hammersmith and Fulham
Bike Hangars offer secure parking for cyclists
January 3, 2024
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is looking to tackle the ‘considerable’ demand for local bike storage as it strikes a £3 million deal to have up to 500 cycle hangars installed over the next three years. Cycling campaigners in the borough have hailed the ‘very welcome’ development, saying they have ‘long awaited’ secure bike parking in the borough.
Hammersmith and Fulham currently has more than 3,000 residents waiting for bike storage, many of whom have been on the list since 2020. The new hangars, to be installed by cycling infrastructure company Cyclehoop between April 2024 and March 2027, are expected to eradicate the current waiting list.
According to a council report in December outlining the decision, approved by Cabinet Member for Public Realm Cllr Sharon Holder, it is also hoped the hangars will encourage and enable residents to increasingly switch from driving to cycling for short journeys, and contribute to the local authority’s target of net zero carbon by 2030.
A spokesperson for the council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the locations of the hangars will be prioritised by demand, with the first to be announced shortly. While the contract has an upper limit of £3m, the council’s report notes orders ‘will only be placed in alignment with available funding’. Currently, Hammersmith and Fulham have around 70 cycle hangars.
Casey Abaraonye, Chair of Hammersmith and Fulham Cycling, said, “Secure bike parking is something we have long awaited in Hammersmith and Fulham. With so many residents living in flats, competing with an ever-growing prevalence of SUVs, it is both practicality and fairness that these needs be addressed.
“LBHF is also one of the few boroughs that has seen a decline in the number of bike thefts and this will go a long way to helping to provide security. Many people do not use bikes because they don’t have anywhere to keep them. This is very welcome.”
According to Met Police data, Hammersmith and Fulham suffers from among the highest bike theft rates in London. Between January and November 2023, the last month for which figures are currently available, police recorded 1,014 instances in the borough. Only Westminster (1,092), Tower Hamlets (1,193) and Hackney (1,331) reported higher numbers over the same period.
Cyclehoop was also approached for comment.
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter