Some people have asked about installing bike hangars in their street which is a great idea and one we support a lot. I think everyone can agree that cycling is a generally positive activity and in a city like London where too many cars lead to poor air quality and clogged roads, cycling should be encouraged.

When we looked into this issue it came as quite a shock how poor Wandsworth Tories have been on this issue and how little is done by the Tories to support cycling in Wandsworth.

We made the image above as a quick and easy comparison. In Wandsworth we only got our first bike hangar in 2017, and as of today we have a grand total of just 4. Compare this to Lambeth which has over 220, and Waltham Forest with 225!

In addition to being a good for the environment and the fitness and wellbeing of people in Wandsworth, bike hangars could also make excellent economic sense for the council. A bike hangar takes up roughly the same amount of space as a car parking bay. Renting a space in the bike hangar costs £72 a year, and a hangar can fit 6 bikes, so in total a hangar generates the council £432 a year. In contrast, a resident’s car parking permit costs only £166. The bike hanger produces 160% more profit using the same amount of space!

At the moment all the £72 rental fee goes to a third party company in exchange for admin, maintenance and cleaning of the hangars, so the hangars do not make any money for Wandsworth Council. We have spoken with them and they are looking at a self-management option. Alternatively, instead of seeking a profit, Wandsworth could follow in the footsteps of Waltham Forest who only charge £20 a year to rent a space and Lambeth who charge £42.

So if you would like a bike hangar on your street, please go to https://cyclehoop.force.com/RentalsCommunity/resultsmap?postalCode= and click the “suggest a location” link at the bottom of the page. We will continue to push the council to install more hangars in areas where they make sense, rather than having to wait for residents to request them. After all, if you build it, they will come!