***October 2021 UPDATE – 16 Cycle Hangars are being installed – find out the latest news here: https://kingstoncyclecampaign.wordpress.com/2021/10/18/16-new-secure-cycle-hangars-being-installed-across-kingston-and-surbiton/***
We regularly campaign for additional cycle parking in the Borough as we know many people struggle to find space to park their bike when they are out and about or choose not to purchase a bike as they have nowhere to keep one securely at home.
We were therefore really pleased to hear that Kingston Council were successful in a bid to Transport for London (TfL) for funding of 20 new Cycle Hangars for the Borough’s residential streets.
Each of these Cycle Hangars allow 6 bikes to be securely stored on the street. Each person who hires one of these spaces receives a key to access the Hangar and can store their bike there for as long as they keep hiring the space. Many Cycle Hangars have already been installed on Kingston’s housing estates and have been successfully used for a number of years.
This funding from TfL will allow them to be placed on the Borough’s residential streets for the first time. Many people do not have space in their home (including lots of those who live in flat conversions) and this will give them the opportunity to keep a bike securely for the first time.
This consultation is now closed. There is currently a traffic order out for consultation on the introduction of these Cycle Hangars. You can support their introduction by emailing TMO@kingston.gov.uk quoting reference ‘KingMap0041’ and stating your support (as well as any comments you have) by Thursday 18th June 2020.
We will be responding to the consultation strongly supporting their introduction with the following comments:
- They will allow many residents the opportunity to store a bike securely for the first time supporting an increase in bike ownership in the Borough and therefore helping more people to cycle.
- Encouraging more cycle use is essential to help the Borough’s air quality problems, reduce congestion and assist the Borough’s residents with becoming more active.
- The Cycle Hangars are very efficient use of street space as 6 bikes can fit in less than the space needed for a single car.
- This limited introduction should just be the start and Kingston should be aiming to catch up with other London Boroughs such as Hackney which now have several hundred Cycle Hangars installed.
The provisional list of roads where Cycle Hangars may be installed are:
- Adelaide Road, Surbiton
- Anglesea Road, Kingston
- Berrylands, Surbiton
- Bond Road, Surbiton
- Cadogan Road, Surbiton
- Claremont Road, Surbiton
- Elm Road, Kingston
- Grayham Road, New Malden
- Hampden Road, Kingston
- Howard Road, Surbiton
- King Charles Road, Surbiton
- Lovelace Road, Surbiton
- Maple Road, Surbiton
- Oakhill Crescent, Surbiton
- Princes Road, Kingston
- St Andrew’s Square, Surbiton
- St Mark’s HIll, Surbiton
- Surbiton Hill Park, Surbiton
- The Avenue, Surbiton
- Warwick Road, New Malden
- Windmill Rise, Kingston
From information published by the Council it seems that there will be an annual charge of £70 for the hire of a space in a Cycle Hanger. This will cover the maintenance and administration of the Hangars and is likely to be payable to Cyclehoop who install and maintain Cycle Hangars across London.
It is yet to be confirmed how applying for a place in the Cycle Hangars will work but keep an eye on our Twitter page and we will publish any information we get as soon as we know more.
If you would like a Cycle Hangar on your street but your road isn’t on the list above, why not contact your Local Councillor or the Sustainable Transport team to ask when Kingston Council will be installing more? Ask your neighbours if they would be interested as well and get them to contact the Council or Councillors too. The more demand that is shown for the Cycle Hangars on your street, the more likely that you will get one!
The Traffic Order for the Cycle Hangars can be found here which has more information on the proposed location of the Cycle Hangars on each road.
We hope that this is just the start of the installation of more Cycle Hangars in the Borough. We will continue to campaign for more Cycle Hangars to be installed as well as more of other types of cycle parking across the Borough.