As you may be aware, we have been working with Ethical Reading, Bike Kitchen and Avanti Cycling to support Reading Borough Council to set up a pilot secure bike parking hub for around 80 bikes in central Reading.
The hub will operate at 32-41 West Street, the site of the former Primark Store. The change of use lease has at last been agreed, the bike racks have been ordered and we are now waiting for a health & safety review to be completed. We are ever hopeful that the hub will open this year!
The hub will initially operate as a secure bike parking facility; however there is the potential for other activities to be run from the hub in the future such as cycle training, bike repairs and organised bike rides.
In conjunction with this initiative, we have also been involved with a Reading University project to produce a guide to setting up a cycle hub. The report will be published in September and copies will be available on our stand at the Reading Cycling Festival (10 September) and our website.
A key finding of the report is that:
“Secure cycle parking hubs can support increased – and more diverse – cycling. Done right, hubs can help tackle practical barriers to riding such as (fear of) cycle theft.”
From Hub to Haven
The report also introduces the idea of Reading becoming a ‘cycling haven’, with world class safe and segregated cycling infrastructure and secure bike parking making cycling accessible to everyone.
This will help Reading achieve net zero targets, improve our air quality and health, and further boost our vibrant town centre.
Susan Children
RCC Publicity Coordinator
This is a great idea the town centre has seen lots of cyclists but out of town less so. It would be great to see the inroads for cyclists expand further then just the town centre as I think it is amazing to just cycle into town with less traffic around as traffic tends to build up outside of the traffic calming zones
“The report also introduces the idea of Reading becoming a ‘cycling haven’, with world class safe and segregated cycling infrastructure and secure bike parking making cycling accessible to everyone.”
Is this Reading, Berkshire, UK we’re talking of here, dishonourably (but deservedly) mentioned in “Crap Cycle Lanes”?
“world class safe and segregated cycling infrastructure ” – as long as RBC isn’t involved in the design it might just work ….