Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Hi Everyone

Here is a photo showing the new bicycle racks that are starting to be installed as part of the Green Lanes project. The contractor is currently installing the racks in the side roads followed by Green Lanes after Christmas.

 

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They work great, I use them when I fancy dicing with death I mean going up the High St

Why does the middle one only have one cross-piece?  That only gives one option of places to lock to.  Every ful kno that you are meant to lock a bike with two different types of lock. Thieves only carry the tools to cut one type, d-lock or cable. Never both. See, I've read all the advice.

You get an upvote for the Molesworth reference

Got my O Level Eng Lit.

Hi Pamish

From what I understand the cross pieces at bottom are intended for blind and partially sighted pedestrians. Therefore the one in the middle does not need it.
How much did the previous ones cost us and how long were they there?

How much have these ones cost us and how come we didn't get proper ones?

How much will proper ones cost us and when are we getting them?


Can you answer these questions please Emina?
The new ones are a replacement at no extra cost for either the new stands or installation. This is because the original were not up to standard. From what I recall the original cost was posted on here but will check.
Don't you think it was obvious the first ones weren't up to standard? Why was this not picked up in the planning stage? Who was responsible for choosing/ok'ing them? Why have the new ones been installed incorrectly?
Yes I agree it was obvious and I asked that they be replaced as soon as they were installed. From what I gather as I was not a Cllr then, the ones installed by the contractor were not up the standard of the ones agreed to at the planning stage. This is why the contractor had to replace them entirely at their own cost and not the councils.

Emina, you started this thread on a very upbeat note.

But nobody likes them.

As our representative, what are you going to say to the Council ?

I'm no urban designer but I think they are a vast improvement on the original both aesthetically and safety wise. Obviously tastes will vary.
Hello Emina, thanks for posting this. I'm not an urban designer either, so what I did was google 'cycle racks'. Of the dozens of different designs available off the shelf, none have square corners or are made from square section tube. I would trust that the basic design of the average cycle rack has been arrived at for a reason, and here's the thing; it's not about how they look.

In terms of function, these racks are virtually identical to the first design, which I had used, and I had to take care not to scratch my frame each time. I did wonder how the old design would hold up against a determined thief; my bike is worth about £1000, it's easy to spend a lot more if you want. They never inspired confidence, and I would have thought that having them be secure would be pretty much the first consideration. These new ones also seem to have welded corners; I'll check them out today. Again, there's a reason cycle rack design features continuous tubing, and it's not about looks.

Regarding safety; you only have to go up to Wood Green High St to see cycle racks installed at 45 degrees to the pavement edge. This mean bikes take up less space, and if someone was to walk into the rack, they are less likely to hit them side on or end on. And no corners either. Just curves.

I dice with death-sorry, I mean- I ride my bike through Green Lanes nearly every day. It is an awful environment for anyone not in a car, and no amount of new shop fronts and tidied corners will change that fact. The lack of any cycle-specific infrastructure (see also Tottenham Hale) shows the council are still focused on not inconveniencing the private car user, rather than the people who use the high street, and this debacle around the racks reinforces this impression. Please, can you get rid of them and go and buy some from a cycle rack manufacturer?

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