“A car parking permit is cheaper!” Cyclists slam “shameful” council for
cutting bike hangar subsidy – as prices set to rise six-fold

“For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and
then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly,” one cyclist said, after
Cyclehoop announced that the price of storing a bike in its hangars will
rise from £12 to £72 a year

by RYAN MALLON SAT, APR 20, 2024 17:01

Cyclists in the London Borough of Enfield have slammed the local council’s
decision to cut its subsidy for the town’s cycle hangars, which will see
the annual price of storing a bike in one of the secure storage units rise
six-fold from £12 to £72.

In an email sent to all subscribers, Cyclehoop – the company that runs the
bike storage scheme on behalf of Enfield Council – blamed the local
authority for the price hike, which will bring the cost of using a bike
hangar in Enfield in line with other London boroughs such as
Richmond-upon-Thames and Kensington and Chelsea.

However, from May cyclists in Enfield will have to pay double the
subscription cost of other Cyclehoop hangar users in Camden and Haringey,
where the units cost £36 a year.

“We are writing to advise you that the annual cost of Cyclehoop Bikehanger
subscriptions in Enfield is changing from 1st May,” Cyclehoop told
subscribers in Enfield.

“The London borough of Enfield currently subsidises all bike hangar
subscriptions for residents of the borough, however, as a result of a
change in the subsidy provided to Cyclehoop from the local authority, your
subscription will be increasing, and the new cost of an annual subscription
will be £72 per year.”

[Link] “So many people are put off cycling by the threat of having their
bike stolen”: Bike theft victims call for more secure cycle hangars as
demand soars

The price hike has been roundly condemned by local cyclists, who rely on
the outdoor storage units to safely secure their bikes due to a lack of
space in their properties, and who described the six-fold rise as “unfair”
and “shameful” on the part of the council.

“The price hike is so absurd. From £12 to £72 a year – really? If I had a
car the parking permit is cheaper!” Enfield resident Claire Freston told
the Enfield Dispatch (link is external).

“Shame on Enfield Council. For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage
people like me to cycle, and then raise the price, I can’t afford it
frankly.

“It won’t deter me from cycling but it will make keeping my bike in my
house – in the hallway for all of us to trip over day and night – really
annoying to be honest.”

Another Cyclehoop user, George Andruszkiewicz, added: “This is unfair on
people who cannot afford such increases, it penalises cyclists – especially
those who live in flats – it is counterproductive to the borough’s green
agenda, and makes me wonder what other ‘initiatives’ are being prepared to
increase fees for local services.”

Responding to the complaints, an Enfield Council spokesperson said: “The
council has installed cycle parking across the borough at train stations,
in town centres, and over 100 cycle hangers on residential streets as one
part of our efforts to encourage cycling in Enfield.

“The new fee covers the full cost of maintaining the hangers after a few
years of council-subsidised rates while they were being introduced and were
grant-funded. The new fees are benchmarked and are similar to other London
boroughs.

“Ensuring the council’s costs of maintaining the cycle hangers are fully
covered will ensure we can roll out even more much-loved cycle hangers
across the borough, with another seven planned for installation over the
coming months.”

Enfield’s Cyclehoop price hike isn’t the first row to emerge over the cost
of bike storage in recent months.

In February, Brighton and Hove City Council rejected a call from
Conservative councillors to increase the cost of using bike hangars in the
city – a controversial topic after a range of protests from local motorists
– five-hold from £1 to £5 a week.

Conservative councillors had claimed that a £125,000 subsidy set aside in
the Labour-controlled council’s budget for Falco, the company behind the
hangars, to maintain them would be better spent on frontline services and
that people allocated spaces within them to park their bikes should pay
more.

But Labour’s Trevor Muten, chair of the council’s Transport and
Sustainability Committee, said that the hangars perform a valuable function
and that the cost of using them would not be reviewed.

“As a city with a high number of flats and many people without access to
private garden or cycle space, the hangars have been crucial in providing a
convenient, safe and affordable space for bikes,” he said.

“Affordability was factored in when the cycle hangar project was introduced
and we have no current plans to review the cost paid by residents for
hangar spaces.

“We realise that, in some areas of the city, the introduction of any more
cycle hangars needs to be balanced with the availability of parking space
and this will factor into our parking review process.”

And last May, councillors in Edinburgh raised concerns about the cost of
using a bike hangar in the Scottish capital – which in some cases is up to
three times as expensive as a 12-month car parking permit – an annual price
some described as prohibitive for people on lower incomes.

However, calls to subsidise the £6-a-month bike hangar costs by raising
parking charges, especially for the most polluting vehicles, were
criticised by opposition councillors for potentially “pitting drivers
against cyclists”.

<https://road.cc/content/news/cyclists-slam-council-cutting-bike-hangar-subsidy-307939>

--
Spike

On 22/04/2024 09:35 am, Spike wrote:
>
> “A car parking permit is cheaper!” Cyclists slam “shameful” council for
> cutting bike hangar subsidy – as prices set to rise six-fold
>
> “For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and
> then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly,” one cyclist said, after
> Cyclehoop announced that the price of storing a bike in its hangars will
> rise from £12 to £72 a year
>
> by RYAN MALLON SAT, APR 20, 2024 17:01
>
> Cyclists in the London Borough of Enfield have slammed the local council’s
> decision to cut its subsidy for the town’s cycle hangars, which will see
> the annual price of storing a bike in one of the secure storage units rise
> six-fold from £12 to £72.
>
> In an email sent to all subscribers, Cyclehoop – the company that runs the
> bike storage scheme on behalf of Enfield Council – blamed the local
> authority for the price hike, which will bring the cost of using a bike
> hangar in Enfield in line with other London boroughs such as
> Richmond-upon-Thames and Kensington and Chelsea.
>
> However, from May cyclists in Enfield will have to pay double the
> subscription cost of other Cyclehoop hangar users in Camden and Haringey,
> where the units cost £36 a year.
>
> “We are writing to advise you that the annual cost of Cyclehoop Bikehanger
> subscriptions in Enfield is changing from 1st May,” Cyclehoop told
> subscribers in Enfield.
>
> “The London borough of Enfield currently subsidises all bike hangar
> subscriptions for residents of the borough, however, as a result of a
> change in the subsidy provided to Cyclehoop from the local authority, your
> subscription will be increasing, and the new cost of an annual subscription
> will be £72 per year.”
>
> [Link] “So many people are put off cycling by the threat of having their
> bike stolen”: Bike theft victims call for more secure cycle hangars as
> demand soars
>
> The price hike has been roundly condemned by local cyclists, who rely on
> the outdoor storage units to safely secure their bikes due to a lack of
> space in their properties, and who described the six-fold rise as “unfair”
> and “shameful” on the part of the council.
>
> “The price hike is so absurd. From £12 to £72 a year – really? If I had a
> car the parking permit is cheaper!” Enfield resident Claire Freston told
> the Enfield Dispatch (link is external).
>
> “Shame on Enfield Council. For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage
> people like me to cycle, and then raise the price, I can’t afford it
> frankly.
>
> “It won’t deter me from cycling but it will make keeping my bike in my
> house – in the hallway for all of us to trip over day and night – really
> annoying to be honest.”
>
> Another Cyclehoop user, George Andruszkiewicz, added: “This is unfair on
> people who cannot afford such increases, it penalises cyclists – especially
> those who live in flats – it is counterproductive to the borough’s green
> agenda, and makes me wonder what other ‘initiatives’ are being prepared to
> increase fees for local services.”
>
> Responding to the complaints, an Enfield Council spokesperson said: “The
> council has installed cycle parking across the borough at train stations,
> in town centres, and over 100 cycle hangers on residential streets as one
> part of our efforts to encourage cycling in Enfield.
>
> “The new fee covers the full cost of maintaining the hangers after a few
> years of council-subsidised rates while they were being introduced and were
> grant-funded. The new fees are benchmarked and are similar to other London
> boroughs.
>
> “Ensuring the council’s costs of maintaining the cycle hangers are fully
> covered will ensure we can roll out even more much-loved cycle hangers
> across the borough, with another seven planned for installation over the
> coming months.”
>
> Enfield’s Cyclehoop price hike isn’t the first row to emerge over the cost
> of bike storage in recent months.
>
> In February, Brighton and Hove City Council rejected a call from
> Conservative councillors to increase the cost of using bike hangars in the
> city – a controversial topic after a range of protests from local motorists
> – five-hold from £1 to £5 a week.
>
> Conservative councillors had claimed that a £125,000 subsidy set aside in
> the Labour-controlled council’s budget for Falco, the company behind the
> hangars, to maintain them would be better spent on frontline services and
> that people allocated spaces within them to park their bikes should pay
> more.
>
> But Labour’s Trevor Muten, chair of the council’s Transport and
> Sustainability Committee, said that the hangars perform a valuable function
> and that the cost of using them would not be reviewed.
>
> “As a city with a high number of flats and many people without access to
> private garden or cycle space, the hangars have been crucial in providing a
> convenient, safe and affordable space for bikes,” he said.
>
> “Affordability was factored in when the cycle hangar project was introduced
> and we have no current plans to review the cost paid by residents for
> hangar spaces.
>
> “We realise that, in some areas of the city, the introduction of any more
> cycle hangars needs to be balanced with the availability of parking space
> and this will factor into our parking review process.”
>
> And last May, councillors in Edinburgh raised concerns about the cost of
> using a bike hangar in the Scottish capital – which in some cases is up to
> three times as expensive as a 12-month car parking permit – an annual price
> some described as prohibitive for people on lower incomes.

Is there any price, of anything at all, which is not "prohibitive" for
people on low-enough incomes?

That's what "low income" *means*!
>
> However, calls to subsidise the £6-a-month bike hangar costs by raising
> parking charges, especially for the most polluting vehicles, were
> criticised by opposition councillors for potentially “pitting drivers
> against cyclists”.
>
> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclists-slam-council-cutting-bike-hangar-subsidy-307939>

If they are so frightened of chav-bike-theft, why don't the chavs just
store their chav-bikes in their garages?

Or if they haven't seen fit to go to the expense of providing themselves
with off-street space, perhaps in their kitchens (something of which
there is famous precedent in uk.r.c)?

On 22/04/2024 09:35 am, Spike wrote:
>
> “A car parking permit is cheaper!” Cyclists slam “shameful” council for
> cutting bike hangar subsidy – as prices set to rise six-fold
>
> “For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and
> then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly,” one cyclist said, after
> Cyclehoop announced that the price of storing a bike in its hangars will
> rise from £12 to £72 a year
>
> by RYAN MALLON SAT, APR 20, 2024 17:01
>
> Cyclists in the London Borough of Enfield have slammed the local council’s
> decision to cut its subsidy for the town’s cycle hangars, which will see
> the annual price of storing a bike in one of the secure storage units rise
> six-fold from £12 to £72.
>
> In an email sent to all subscribers, Cyclehoop – the company that runs the
> bike storage scheme on behalf of Enfield Council – blamed the local
> authority for the price hike, which will bring the cost of using a bike
> hangar in Enfield in line with other London boroughs such as
> Richmond-upon-Thames and Kensington and Chelsea.
>
> However, from May cyclists in Enfield will have to pay double the
> subscription cost of other Cyclehoop hangar users in Camden and Haringey,
> where the units cost £36 a year.
>
> “We are writing to advise you that the annual cost of Cyclehoop Bikehanger
> subscriptions in Enfield is changing from 1st May,” Cyclehoop told
> subscribers in Enfield.
>
> “The London borough of Enfield currently subsidises all bike hangar
> subscriptions for residents of the borough, however, as a result of a
> change in the subsidy provided to Cyclehoop from the local authority, your
> subscription will be increasing, and the new cost of an annual subscription
> will be £72 per year.”
>
> [Link] “So many people are put off cycling by the threat of having their
> bike stolen”: Bike theft victims call for more secure cycle hangars as
> demand soars
>
> The price hike has been roundly condemned by local cyclists, who rely on
> the outdoor storage units to safely secure their bikes due to a lack of
> space in their properties, and who described the six-fold rise as “unfair”
> and “shameful” on the part of the council.
>
> “The price hike is so absurd. From £12 to £72 a year – really? If I had a
> car the parking permit is cheaper!” Enfield resident Claire Freston told
> the Enfield Dispatch (link is external).
>
> “Shame on Enfield Council. For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage
> people like me to cycle, and then raise the price, I can’t afford it
> frankly.
>
> “It won’t deter me from cycling but it will make keeping my bike in my
> house – in the hallway for all of us to trip over day and night – really
> annoying to be honest.”
>
> Another Cyclehoop user, George Andruszkiewicz, added: “This is unfair on
> people who cannot afford such increases, it penalises cyclists – especially
> those who live in flats – it is counterproductive to the borough’s green
> agenda, and makes me wonder what other ‘initiatives’ are being prepared to
> increase fees for local services.”
>
> Responding to the complaints, an Enfield Council spokesperson said: “The
> council has installed cycle parking across the borough at train stations,
> in town centres, and over 100 cycle hangers on residential streets as one
> part of our efforts to encourage cycling in Enfield.
>
> “The new fee covers the full cost of maintaining the hangers after a few
> years of council-subsidised rates while they were being introduced and were
> grant-funded. The new fees are benchmarked and are similar to other London
> boroughs.
>
> “Ensuring the council’s costs of maintaining the cycle hangers are fully
> covered will ensure we can roll out even more much-loved cycle hangers
> across the borough, with another seven planned for installation over the
> coming months.”
>
> Enfield’s Cyclehoop price hike isn’t the first row to emerge over the cost
> of bike storage in recent months.
>
> In February, Brighton and Hove City Council rejected a call from
> Conservative councillors to increase the cost of using bike hangars in the
> city – a controversial topic after a range of protests from local motorists
> – five-hold from £1 to £5 a week.

"five-hold"?

Ah... it's road.cc again.

Semi-literates writing for a a publication aimed at other semi-literates.
>
> Conservative councillors had claimed that a £125,000 subsidy set aside in
> the Labour-controlled council’s budget for Falco, the company behind the
> hangars, to maintain them would be better spent on frontline services and
> that people allocated spaces within them to park their bikes should pay
> more.
>
> But Labour’s Trevor Muten, chair of the council’s Transport and
> Sustainability Committee, said that the hangars perform a valuable function
> and that the cost of using them would not be reviewed.

Did he *mean* the cost?

The article appears to be about the price.

And cost and price are not the same thing.
>
> “As a city with a high number of flats and many people without access to
> private garden or cycle space, the hangars have been crucial in providing a
> convenient, safe and affordable space for bikes,” he said.
>
> “Affordability was factored in when the cycle hangar project was introduced
> and we have no current plans to review the cost paid by residents for
> hangar spaces.
>
> “We realise that, in some areas of the city, the introduction of any more
> cycle hangars needs to be balanced with the availability of parking space
> and this will factor into our parking review process.”
>
> And last May, councillors in Edinburgh raised concerns about the cost of
> using a bike hangar in the Scottish capital – which in some cases is up to
> three times as expensive as a 12-month car parking permit – an annual price
> some described as prohibitive for people on lower incomes.
>
> However, calls to subsidise the £6-a-month bike hangar costs by raising
> parking charges, especially for the most polluting vehicles, were
> criticised by opposition councillors for potentially “pitting drivers
> against cyclists”.
>
> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclists-slam-council-cutting-bike-hangar-subsidy-307939>

Spike <aero.spike@mail.com> wrote:
>
> “A car parking permit is cheaper!” Cyclists slam “shameful” council for
> cutting bike hangar subsidy – as prices set to rise six-fold
>
> “For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and
> then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly,” one cyclist said, after
> Cyclehoop announced that the price of storing a bike in its hangars will
> rise from £12 to £72 a year
>

Oh dear, imagine if he had to pay the same as car drivers. It is some
years since we needed to buy a parking season ticket but, as I recall, it
was several hundred pounds - with no guarantee you would actually get a
space and no security ( we had a car stolen from the car park. When we
reported it, the police officer reacted if it was our fault. Not being in
the best of moods, it was my birthday and having a car stolen isn’t my idea
of fun, he was quickly put right re his attitude.)

Locally, the Council has increased car park charges recently while
claiming to be trying to ‘revitalise’ the local high streets - it is
responsible for several. We’ve lived in this area since the early 80s. At
that time, the main high streets were thriving. One was positively
pleasant, the other certainly good enough to visit for shopping, perhaps
grab a coffee, it had decent shops etc. The others were ok, certainly not
unpleasant, just a bit lacking in the better shops etc.

All have been dragged down several notches. No quality shops. Millions of
pounds wasted by the Council on a new bus station to replace a perfectly
good one which was under cover. The new one is exposed to the weather and
in a position which distorted the traffic flow.

True you can be sure of a parking space, few people venture into the town.
The empty buses trundle along the bus lanes.

Then, of course, there is ‘car tax’ or VED. Having bought a new car
recently, deemed to be a luxury car, I will be paying circa £500 for the
next 5 years of so. Not to mention, half of the cost of every tank full of
petrol being tax / duty.

Spike <aero.spike@mail.com> wrote:

> “A car parking permit is cheaper!” Cyclists slam “shameful” council for
> cutting bike hangar subsidy – as prices set to rise six-fold

> “For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and
> then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly,” one cyclist said, after
> Cyclehoop announced that the price of storing a bike in its hangars will
> rise from £12 to £72 a year

<snip snivelling ‘woe is me, my subsidy is undone’ article>

> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclists-slam-council-cutting-bike-hangar-subsidy-307939>

One wonders if the phraseology missed by the article is something along the
lines of ‘I can’t afford these new cycle hangar fees, where am I going to
park my £12000 carbon-framed bicycle now? And my £200 aero sunglasses need
replacing’.

--
Spike

On 22/04/2024 01:50 pm, Spike wrote:

> Spike <aero.spike@mail.com> wrote:
>
>> “A car parking permit is cheaper!” Cyclists slam “shameful” council for
>> cutting bike hangar subsidy – as prices set to rise six-fold
>
>> “For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and
>> then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly,” one cyclist said, after
>> Cyclehoop announced that the price of storing a bike in its hangars will
>> rise from £12 to £72 a year
>
> <snip snivelling ‘woe is me, my subsidy is undone’ article>
>
>> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclists-slam-council-cutting-bike-hangar-subsidy-307939>
>
> One wonders if the phraseology missed by the article is something along the
> lines of ‘I can’t afford these new cycle hangar fees, where am I going to
> park my £12000 carbon-framed bicycle now? And my £200 aero sunglasses need
> replacing’.

The thing, as we know, is that chav-cyclists uniformly and predictably
claim to be the upper stratum of society as far as income is concerned.
That has been a constant mantra from chav-cyclists in this very
newsgroup over many years.

They're all Considerably Richer Than Yow (or me) - or so they claim.

So why would they *need* money out of the poor box to subsidise the
storage of their chav-bikes?

JNugent <JNugent73@mail.com> wrote:
> On 22/04/2024 01:50 pm, Spike wrote:
>> Spike <aero.spike@mail.com> wrote:

>>> “A car parking permit is cheaper!” Cyclists slam “shameful” council for
>>> cutting bike hangar subsidy – as prices set to rise six-fold
>>
>>> “For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and
>>> then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly,” one cyclist said, after
>>> Cyclehoop announced that the price of storing a bike in its hangars will
>>> rise from £12 to £72 a year
>>
>> <snip snivelling ‘woe is me, my subsidy is undone’ article>
>>
>>> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclists-slam-council-cutting-bike-hangar-subsidy-307939>
>>
>> One wonders if the phraseology missed by the article is something along the
>> lines of ‘I can’t afford these new cycle hangar fees, where am I going to
>> park my £12000 carbon-framed bicycle now? And my £200 aero sunglasses need
>> replacing’.
>
> The thing, as we know, is that chav-cyclists uniformly and predictably
> claim to be the upper stratum of society as far as income is concerned.
> That has been a constant mantra from chav-cyclists in this very
> newsgroup over many years.
>
> They're all Considerably Richer Than Yow (or me) - or so they claim.
>
> So why would they *need* money out of the poor box to subsidise the
> storage of their chav-bikes?

It’s their Inalienable Right?

Inverse Robin Hood syndrome?

--
Spike