Do many people use the bicycle lockers at East Dulwich Station

[Alex K]

The pavement on the south side of Dog Kennel Hill as the road goes beneath the railway line at East Dulwich Station is fairly wide -- wide enough to have become, against a masonry pier, the site of a set of bicycle lockers.

Because I can't remember seeing someone loading a bicycle into or out of a locker, I wonder if the lockers would be missed. (Surely users can be relied upon to speak up here.)

If the lockers would NOT be missed, then in their place, perhaps a rack of "Boris Bikes"? Could that programme extend this far into South London?

[joobjoob]

Nope - I've never seen anyone using them..

Boris Bikes would be great in the area, it's only half an hour from ED to central london, and Boris Bikes are free for the first half hour!

[Applespider]

At the moment the Boris Bikes only go to the boundary of zone 1. There is talk of extending them along the Cycle Superhighways (so that would mean southwest into Battersea/Clapham with CS7 and east towards Barking on CS3). ED is on the proposed route of CS6 but I can't recall when that's coming in.

They are still adding docking stations to the centre and it's still losing money. And not sure if you've used a Boris bike but while ED is only 20-30 minutes from Central London on a normal bike, I'm not sure how pleasant it would be on a Boris bike since they are somewhat heavy and have dreadful gearing.

[Jeremy]

There are only 5 or 6 bike lockers, so it's hardly going to be a hive of activity. Just because you haven't seen them being used, it doesn't mean they aren't.

I wouldn't expect to see Boris Bikes as far out as ED any time soon. There is no precedent of installations in other suburban zone 2/3 areas. If you look at the map of docking stations, it would stick out like a sore thumb. And the logistics of repleneshing an isolated station several km outside of central London would rule it out immediately.

[James Barber]

I've been assured that these lockers have a waiting list.

If we could find more space we'd arrange ore lockers and many people in converted flats don't have anywhere they feel comfortable keeping bicycles.

[danrees]

James Barber Wrote:

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> I've been assured that these lockers have a

> waiting list.

> If we could find more space we'd arrange ore

> lockers and many people in converted flats don't

> have anywhere they feel comfortable keeping

> bicycles.

James, I didn't realise that you were the LD transport spokesman for Southwark.

For me, bike storage is a bit of a distraction compared to the real issue of poor, cycle unfriendly planning in the borough. There are so many cycle paths that have been designed seemingly without any input from cyclists. Some examples:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Rolls+Road,+Camberwell&aq=2&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.358205,32.519531&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Rolls+Rd,+Camberwell,+Greater+London+SE1+5,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.489336,-0.073427&spn=0.007375,0.015879&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.489336,-0.073427&panoid=ZrhiiADE5jNYsMhBPPNtpw&cbp=12,92.14,,0,13.38 - on the no 23 signposted cycle route. Why so many bollards?! Not exactly practical if you are taking panniers on commutes to work.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=tooley+street&aq=&sll=51.489336,-0.073427&sspn=0.007429,0.015879&g=Rolls+Road,+Camberwell&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Tooley+St,+London+SE1,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.503854,-0.083063&spn=0.007426,0.015879&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.503746,-0.083034&panoid=w7KzvvFV1WK6I6zvxDsg6w&cbp=12,200.73,,0,-0.12 - bollards right in the middle of a cycle path. Why?!

I could go on but these are just the ones on my commute...

I know proper cycling infrastructure costs money but Southwark can at least get rid of obstacles like these.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Personally, I think that there cannot be enough secure cycle parking. It would be good to have much more at Peckham Rye, especially in time for the East London Line Phase 2 extension.

[paulsimon]

Never seen anyone usuing them but Ive only been here for few months

[Alex K]

As Jeremy pointed out, with six lockers max you blink and you've missed the moments when the lockers are in use. And James Barber says, at second hand, interest in their use is strong. And Boris bikes in East Dulwich, like a Tube extension, are for our grandchildren, not for us.

It's a crowded spot there at the station entrance, nowhere to tuck another set of bike lockers, not right now. Maybe when the garden centre next the station is sold for another block of flats, as it must be one of these years, planning permission can wangle a bike-park in exchange for another storey or two.

[James Barber]

Hi danrees,

I'm the LD shadow transport spokesperson.

The first set or bollards are from the terrible motorcycle and scooter problems they used to have there. I have panniers - often bulging with LD leaflets I've never had a problem.

The anti lorry high islands on Bermondsey Street from memory are to help keep lorries out of the contraflow cycle path.

Are you a member of the London Cycling Campaign and/or Southwark Cyclists they loveto have a commuter cyclist added to their ranks giving useful input.

Hi Alex K,

The developer wh's purchased the Dulwich Garden Centre has two planning applications in and the community gain being offered is a new Grove Vale Library double the size of the current one. I was wondering the oppisite side behind the advertising posters whether any room for cycle lockers...any one able to take a peek this week?

[Alex K]

James, I'll skibble past there on the way home and reconnoitre. Peabody Estate side, I think you're talking, yes? But a general shufti.

[Alex K]

Northwest side (Dog Kennel Hill, DKH): More space than northeast side (Grove Vale, GV). DKH: Maybe two yards on the flat between railway embankment and Peabody Estate access road. GV: Foot of embankment almost adjoins building.

No need for carving away the embankment and building retaining walls to create more flat area, I think. If the embankment were clear-mown and receptacles for tyres were put halfway up the embankment, bicycles could easily be rolled up the lower half of the embankment, with front tyre dropped into a receptacle (slotted concrete block with a high lip on the downhill side to prevent rollback?) and rear wheel locked to a stanchion, then left standing to await commuters' return. All one would need is a yard's-breadth of walkway at the base of the embankment and good lighting / CCTV taping - monitoring to let users feel comfortable venturing into the bike-park.

[benmorg]

James Barber Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The developer wh's purchased the Dulwich Garden

> Centre has two planning applications in and the

> community gain being offered is a new Grove Vale

> Library double the size of the current one. I was

> wondering the oppisite side behind the advertising

> posters whether any room for cycle lockers...any

> one able to take a peek this week?

Is the garden centre closing down then? It's news to me that it's being redeveloped.

[James Barber]

Hi benmorg,

The garden centre owners sold to a developer some years ago but the economic situation and planning consents have delayed things by several years.