Colchester car parks could be used for undercover bike storage

Colchester Council’s environment and sustainability panel spoke about the possibility of rolling out more secure storage units for bicycles.

The authority is committed to a greener future and encouraging more residents to cycle but is mindful of the lack of sufficient bike storage provision in the city.

One of the suggestions put forward to the committee to combat this issue was to look at ways of utilising empty spaces in multi-storey carparks.

Lewis Barber, Colchester councillor for Lexden and Braiswick, who is a keen cyclist himself, championed the idea.

He said: “I think this is one of the challenges we have in Colchester, the provision of secure bike storage.

“One area where I do think we could perhaps install more cycle storage would be in some of the areas in our multi-storey car parks.

“Often when you look there are areas of concrete not being used for anything effectively – so we could maybe install secure cycle storage there.

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“Strategic locations at the bottom of the hills would also be useful. When I cycle into the office I tend to not always go up the hill, I tend to stop at the bottom.

“But if there was a cycle storage at the bottom it could be a strategic location where people don’t feel they have to get to the top of the hill all the time.”

Lee Scordis, panel chairman and Colchester councillor for Old Heath and the Hythe, also liked the sound of the suggestion.

He added: “St Mary’s has bike ramps outside but when it is chucking down with rain you are coming back to a very wet bike.

“When actually they could be next to the ticket machines where there is empty space, so I think there is an option there.

“That could even be just a matter of moving the iron bars and having CCTV on top of them.”