To ensure the success of the Bikehangars, they must be conveniently located very close to people’s homes. They will also be most successful in areas with a high density of flats, especially older tenements. In such areas, alternative space is often extremely limited, with the preferred option being to put the Bikehangars on the road. This is to preserve valuable pedestrian space and to ensure pavements remain accessible for people in wheelchairs, using buggies etc.
These on-road units have taken a tiny fraction of the overall on-street car parking available in Dundee. However, where car parking is extremely limited and where possible, we have located the Bikehangars on very wide pavements or built slabs on grass to accommodate the units.
Access to safe, secure cycle storage at home is one of the biggest barriers to cycle ownership in Dundee, which has the second-lowest car-ownership rate of any local authority in Scotland – over 40% of households do not have a car and rely on alternative forms of transport, including cycling. By installing a Bikehangar in a single car parking space, we are removing this barrier and providing six parking spaces for cycles.