PROJECT DETAILS
We installed two types of bike storage at the Boots Company Headquarters in Nottingham to cater for the growing number of employees choosing to commute by bike. The first phase of the project was installing 32 Black Streetpods, giving 64 bike spaces, outside and under an existing shelter.
Our Streetpod is a market leading solution for secure bike storage. It has been certified to ‘Sold Secure’ Silver and has also gone through a rigorous independent testing process to achieve Secured by Design status, in fact it is the ONLY cycle stand product to achieve this certification. The Streetpod securely encases the front wheel of the bike within its robust and recycled MDPE body which provides a tamperproof area where wheel nuts cannot be accessed. The bike frame and rear wheel can then be locked with only one bike lock to the security loop in the Streetpod’s 20mm solid steel loop which means the bike cannot be maneuvered backwards.
They also save approximately 30% space compared to standard bike stands, freeing up space for other services. The main shield of the Streetpod is manufactured from 100% recyclable material, helping the developer to achieve green material targets.
The second phase of the project was to install a basement full of Sevenoaks Semi-Vertical Racks. These Sevenoaks Semi-Vertical Racks are the answer to tidy storage when having to house a large number of bikes. Plus we added a security hoop to each stand which provides an extra locking point for bikes, making the storage more secure. We installed a total of 189 bike spaces using these racks.
London Midland’s requirements
- 375mm centre to centre spacing on the racks.
- Three separate locking on points (Bicycle wheels and frame) was also necessary.
- Ergonomic, polymer grip handles with steel support fitted to the upper channels for ease of use.
- Upper channels to operate on casters or stainless steel bearings for easy operation and noise dampening.
- Upper channels must reach floor level when completely extended for ease of loading.
- A gas assisted or pneumatic lowering mechanism on the upper channels to prevent uncontrolled lowering.
- The height x depth requirements were 2350mm x 1800mm with a stowed cycle. Operable within two-tiered cycle shelter.
- All these features are standard with the CapaCITY system.
- Readily available replacement parts.
As well as providing cycle storage, London Midland requested a brand new accompanying feature for four stations. At Watford Junction, Northampton, Walsall and Bletchley, Cyclepods installed a Bike Detection system.
Bike Detection
Bike Detection is an optical sensor or pressure sensor driven system to determine occupied or vacant cycle parking space. London Midland chose optical sensors for their racks. These consist of two cameras that “see” in 3D, each monitoring a section of the racks (around 5-25 spaces). The cameras can then determine occupied vs. free spaces in the racks and feeds this back to a local facility server.
This means real-time information on occupancy is available. This data will show trends in occupancy related to time of day, day of week etc., as well as a potential growth in cycle-rail journeys. Understanding facility usage is vital in justifying investment in the facilities. This data helps to learn if facilities are in the right place and which racks are more popular than others. It also provides evidence on usage when considering future investment in facilities, particularly useful when negotiating for funding for expanding existing or new facilities.
Abandoned bikes is becoming more common. These are bikes left in racks, taking up valuable spaces from other users. In most cases, a bike is considered abandoned if left for more than two weeks. The optical sensors log where spaces are not vacated in a certain period and notify the system operative to remove abandoned bikes.
A stipulation of this project was delivery of everything within 6 to 8 weeks of the contract signing.
This was an ambitious timescale dictated by London Midland’s franchise end on December 10th 2017.
Cyclepods delivered all products within the contracted timescale.