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INNOVATING TOWARDS AN ACTIVE TRAVEL FUTURE Falco’s Jeremy Green on why the right security solutions for bike parking will make cycling an attractive option for more people
the infrastructure is incredible and it’s just a normal part of everyday life. We’re a long way behind. In the UK there are ‘cyclists’ who will be out there, rain or shine, then there are people ‘who have a bike’. It’s for these people that we need to introduce new ideas so that cycling can be a natural choice. For example, ‘Fix Your Bike’ [the Government scheme that offers £50 bike repair vouchers] has been a great initiative, but would you actually leave your recently repaired bike anywhere public?
So, what’s required in the world of cycle parking? In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the outlook for everyday cycling in the UK is actually very encouraging, believes Jeremy Green, managing director of Falco, a manufacturer of parking systems and street furniture. Green has seen many policy ideas and funding commitments during his 17 years as Falco’s boss. Over the past year, he has been tracking the impact of Covid-19 on cycling, and thinks there are reasons to be hopeful. “I’ve seen many policy directions and funding commitments, but they’ve had only localised effects. “However, since Covid-19 I have seen a concerted commitment by key stakeholders such as TfL, the Department for Transport, the Cycle Rail Working Group and many local authorities,” says Green.
He has spoken with the then transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris, and found him “very committed” to developing cycling. Green also welcomes transport secretary Grant Shapps’ vision for half of all journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by 2030. “Let’s hope there’s funding to support the vision,” he says. Here Jeremy Green offers his perspective on the challenges that lie ahead:
What do you think of the UK’s current cycling infrastructure? It’s sketchy, there’s some great examples in the UK but nowhere near enough. It’s not just the Netherlands and Denmark, but Germany too where
First, we need to up the quality of our game. The UK is a cost driven culture and unlike our European neighbours, everything is about price, whereas to create an infrastructure that will inspire more people, we need quality infrastructure. We run the Royal Institute of British Architects’ CPD programme on Cycle Parking for architect’s practices, trying to bring in good practice at the design stage. But what an architect draws, doesn’t always end up on the ground. This is why the new ‘Cycle Parking Design and Security Standards’, led by the Bicycle Association and Cycle Rail Working Group, with DfT funding, is key to the development of good infrastructure. Developing a set of quality requirements for the products themselves is something we have spent many years lobbying for. Then, we need the DfT to make them mandatory.
