The City of Edinburgh Council has announced plans to install additional secure on-street cycle parking across the city, following a contract extension with cycling infrastructure manufacturer Cyclehoop.
Cyclehoop has installed 108 covered bike storage containers throughout the Scottish capital since 2019 and the council has received requests for units at a further 206 locations.
As a result, the City of Edinburgh Council’s transport and environment committee has approved proposals to add an additional 100 units at 50 locations per year over the next two years of the programme. This will result in 1,200 extra spaces, more than double the number currently being introduced.
Lesley Macinnes, transport and environment convener, City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The demand for bike parking in Edinburgh demonstrates the increasing popularity of cycling, and the positive impact it can have on health, travel costs and the environment.
“When this project was first approved, it aimed to resolve issues around theft and the storage of bikes in stairwells, in turn making cycling a more attractive, convenient way to travel. Over the past year we’ve seen so many people realising the benefits of cycling, and I hope this decision will encourage even more people to take it up.”
According to the council, the cycling parking units currently installed have an occupancy rate of 91% (591 users) and the wait list sits at 476 people.
All new requests for bike parking are being recorded in a system set up to cross reference their locations against the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
The council said this enables it to pay extra attention to requests for units in areas lower down the SIMD, and helps to balance these with requests from more affluent areas of the city, where residents tend to be more engaged with council projects.
Karen Doran, transport and environment vice convener, City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We know that living in a flat or small house can be a barrier to owning and storing a bike, which is why we began installing secure cycle storage in 2019.
“The take-up so far has been fantastic, and we’re constantly hearing from people who would like a unit in their neighbourhood. So it’s great that we’ll now be able to roll the scheme out further, in a fair and inclusive way.”
Extension of the council’s contract with Cyclehoop is subject to match-funding by Sustrans.
