So you’ve decided you need a bike dock, the only question is; where to put it?
A number of colleagues will have offered a number of suggestions but it’s happened such that the final decision has fallen to you.
Not wanting to let down your colleagues and ever aware of the office politics that may follow your decision, you search online for any tips or advice that you can find, and happen across this humble guide.
From the car park, the main entrance, or the side gate, your options are numerous, and the pressure to make the right call can be immense.
First, we’ll explore the car park.
By The Car Park
Theres a reason we list it first and there’s a reason it’s the most common place for a business or school to install a cycle shelter. It just works.
From a practical standpoint, the car park is likely already the largest open area you have on site,
making the addition of a Bike Dock very easy to accommodate. With the most common style of
cycle shelter measuring just 4m x 2m, it would fit snugly into an existing car parking space.
A cycle shelter placed into main car park will receive far more use than a shelter tucked into an
already rarely used corner of the premises. It serves as a daily visual reminder of the alternative
transport modes available to colleagues and students alike. I can’t think of a better time to petition
someone to cycle to work than when they are late & rushing into the building due to some unforeseen
roadworks or traffic jam.
By the Main Entrance
Once again aiming for high visibility in an often visited location, where better than the main entrance?
With more and more of us living in cities, the idea that you’re establishment would have a car park that
you can do with as you please is fast becoming a luxury. For those that do have this facility, it’s often the
case that their car park is either tucked into a central courtyard or underground, neither of which do much
in terms of helping people actually find your cycle shelter.
Placing your cycle shelter by the main entrance is perfect for visitors as it will be incredibly hard to miss,
whether for your regular customers or an idle passerby who can’t necessarily visit today but plans to cycle down
over the weekend, for example.
By the Side Entrance
Having exhausted our two preferred options, we’re now looking at alternative locations that’ll be suitable for the shelter.
One of the few places left where it makes sense and with the space for a shelter will be by a side entrance.
Depending on the specific arrangement of the gate and surrounding space, we may be able to place the shelter within the confines of the site,
or we may have to place the shelter outside of the on-site security features.
So in conclusion, the best place for your cycle shelter is going to be either in the main carpark, or by one of the entrances to the site.
As we expect these to be the most heavily used areas of your building, and therefore the most convenient for your customers/student/employees to use on a regular basis.
