In a bid to boost active travel, Glasgow, Scotland’s city center now features on-demand secure cycle parking hubs. The hubs are part of the City’s Avenues Plus project, which seeks to protect and prioritize space for active travel, improve connectivity, introduce sustainable green infrastructure and improve the way public transport is incorporated into the community.
The cycle parking hubs are accessed through the free Cyclehoop app, which is available on both the App Store and Google Play. The app allows users to find vacant spaces, add credit, and book a space in one of the units. The 20 hubs provide 116 cycle parking spaces. The cost of parking is dependent on time, with prices running from 15p for up to 30 minutes, to £5 (~USD$6) for up to 24 hours.
The hubs are at street level to be easily accessible, and most of these are placed on the road in accordance with the Scottish Government’s Designing Streets policy statement. Where necessary, the hubs are placed on pathways but will not impede those walking or cycling.
“The new city center cycle parking units will help support people to cycle into the city center for work, study and leisure by providing safe and secure hireable storage,” said councilor Angus Millar. “These units are in addition to our ongoing roll-out of secure on-street cycle storage in residential neighborhoods across Glasgow, which have proven hugely popular throughout the city. I am sure these new short-stay units in the city center will be a similarly successful addition to cycling infrastructure in Glasgow.”
The Avenues Plus project is funded through the Places for Everyone program, an active travel infrastructure program backed by the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans Scotland.
“By providing convenient and easy-to-access bike storage locations across Glasgow city center, we hope to see more opportunities than ever for everyday cycling journeys,” said Katherine Soane, grant manager for Sustrans. “Not only will this provide residents and commuters with the peace of mind they need to go about their day, it will be absolutely transformative in combination with the walking, wheeling, and cycling improvements currently being delivered across the city.”