Ealing Council has revealed that it has now installed 100 bike hangars for cyclists to park their bikes securely across the borough. The Labour-run council claims it is on target to hit its promise of installing 150 hangars by 2026 but campaigners and opposition parties say it isn’t enough to meet demand.
In December 2023, a Clean Cities Campaign report revealed the 2,605 people were on a waiting list for a space and the borough had one of the lowest number of secure cycle spaces per 10,000 of the population with just 11 spaces compared to neighbouring borough Hammersmith & Fulham with 18, Brent with 23 and Richmond with 16.
To mark the occasion of the 100th bike hangar, Councillor Peter Mason, leader of Ealing Council and Councillor Deirdre Costigan, cabinet member for climate action, visited the 100th hangar located on Broughton Road in West Ealing.
A further six bike hangars are also being installed at Loveday Road, West Ealing; Half Acre Road, Hanwell; West Lodge Court, Ealing Common; Northwood Gardens, North Greenford; Green Drive / Knowsley Avenue, Southall and Wordsworth Avenue, Greenford.
Each hangar has room for six bicycles to be securely parked.
The council says the new locations have been suggested by residents in the borough with each parking space costing cyclists 70p a month to use.
Councillor Peter Mason said: “We know that one of the main barriers to people cycling is having somewhere safe and affordable to keep a bicycle. That is why we are increasing the number of bike hangars, and why we have also cut the price of a permit. Residents can park their bike more cheaply in Ealing than anywhere else in the capital.”
Councillor Deirdre Costigan said: “Delivering over 100 bike hangars to where residents want them is part of our commitment to invest £10 million to support sustainable and active travel such as cycling, walking, and scooting where residents need them. We will continue to work with residents to help increase active travel, so we can all enjoy cleaner air and a more sustainable borough.”
Opposition party Ealing Liberal Democrats says Ealing Council is nor introducing enough bike hangars in the borough. Leader Councillor Gary Macolm told EALING.NEWS: “Lib Dems say that their target was very low as the demand for cycling storage is massive especially due to many people living in flats where they cannot safely store their bikes. They are reasonably cheap to provide so they should expand in a much bigger way.”
But Julian Bell, former leader of Ealing Council told EALING.NEWS that it’s an “excellent start”.
He said: “This is an excellent start in redressing the imbalance between the availability and cost of cycle parking compared to car parking. Many people don’t have access to proper secure cycle parking so these hangers are a great way to provide just what’s needed in order to encourage more people to take up cycling. There’s still a long way to go though so this is just a beginning.”
For local campaign group Better Streets Ealing, it is not enough given the huge demand for parking spaces. On its website, the group writes: “150 bike hangars doesn’t fulfil Ealing’s waiting list for 1200+ spaces. Allowing people to install bike storage in front gardens would help alleviate demand for hangar space.”
A spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “For households without the ability to keep all the bikes they need practically, especially those in terraced houses or flats, secure on street bike storage may be the only practical way to enable bike ownership. Giving more people somewhere to securely store a bike during a cost of living crisis will help them reduce costs associated with travel, especially driving.”
They added: “Providing access to secure storage for a bike is especially important for people who don’t drive or whose finances do not extend to owning and running a car.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, Neil Reynolds, chair of Ealing Green Party commented: “It is welcome that the council is installing 3 or 4 bike hangers a month. Nowhere near enough is being done to make cycling safer on the borough’s roads however. It is removing the westbound cycle lane over the river Brent in Hanwell and has ruled out a cycle lane on the Uxbridge road in West Ealing.”
