Grrr - Lidl replaces Sheffield stands with Wheel Benders

[Cyril Haearn]

I try to park my bike legally in a place where an amok vehicle could not go
In practice I park once and walk around town instead of riding a short way and parking again, +1 for walking a few hundred metres

The Shopping Heavens on the BINOs, (bypasses in name only) have sucked the 'Life' out of many town centres and food stores are moving back in, Plus One!

[Cyril Haearn]

Are Sheffield Stands ubiquitous in Steel City?

[RickH]

Maybe if there isn't adequate cycle parking we should start to take our bikes inside with us?

[pete75]

................. and why are they called "Health" Centres?

Should be called Ill-health Centres or Poorly Centres or even Sick Centres.

Out of a sense of irony perhaps though round here they call them Surgeries. No idea what the difference but it may be prescriptions. Folk at work who went to health centres had to go to Boots or the like with their prescription whereas at a surgery they dispense the medicine themselves. When you see a Dr. any prescription is waiting for you at the dispensary window to collect on the way out.

[Mick F]

We have Tamar Valley Heath.
Two health centres, Callington and Gunnislake.
http://www.tamarvalleyhealth.org.uk

You only use them when you're ill or need treatment.
I only go there to renew my Asthma inhalers, so perhaps I'm not healthy?

Should be Tamar Valley Non-Health.

[Patrickpioneer]

It narks me off that my GP surgery doesnt have a single cycle stand, not even a piddly wheelbender. I get annoyed at having to use a car to drive 2 villages across to see the quack or collect a prescription simply because there's nowhere to secure a bike.

exactly the same for me, the docs and the chemist have no bike parking, not a thing.

[Lance Dopestrong]

Should be law that any organisation providing a public service (Doctors, Libraries, that sort of thing) should have X amount of cycle parking. If the government really want people out of their cars they should do something about it. Alas, what hope do we have while Failing Grayling is transport minister? A man who has publicly stated that he does not regard cycling as "road transport"...

[thirdcrank]

I cannot find it but somewhere on here I think there's a post complete with pic of the sheffield-type bike racks at Tesco in Batley, swamped with hundreds of trolleys. I was there the other day because my dentist is near there and the trolleys were all elsewhere. Not a bike in sight when I arrived and as I was leaving. Somewhere good to fasten your bike is important but IMO sheffield stands on their own make little difference to attracting people to cycling. A tiny part of a much bigger picture.

[foxyrider]

Are Sheffield Stands ubiquitous in Steel City?

there are a few around - my new local Aldi has a strip of @ a dozen - I've even seen bikes parked there! given its less than a km from home I walk.

[The utility cyclist]

Well, locking the wheel to the frame and leaning the bike against the shop wall is still common, so at least they have to lift one locked to a short post! Might be enough to make a thief take a leant one instead?

I don't even bother locking mine up, just propped against the main window, been doing it that way there since Lidl moved round the corner to a purpose built site some 15 yrs ago.
They do have Sheffield stands though

[rfryer]

My local Lidl doesn't object to me walking my bike round the store. But I've never tried it at busy times.

[basingstoke123]

The Brighton Hill Retail Park, in Basingstoke, sometime last year replaced the poorly located Sheffield stands with .... more car parking.

Removed cycle racks - streetview https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.25056 ... 384!8i8192

The car park has about 470 car spaces, so, this will have increased car parking capacity by 0.2%, and reduced cycling capacity by 100%, (and net capacity slightly).

I don't think it is reasonable to take my bike inside and lock it to something. I did attempt it a couple of times, but the staff are not very keen on bicycles inside, and it's not rally fair to make their lives difficult. So, I now no longer do any shopping there.

I should really write to to Currys PC World or one of the other shops to complain (presumably it's a problem with their landlord). Just boycotting a shop without letting them know is not going to change anything. I did start composing an email to Office Outlet (aka Staples), but it's a bit pointless now that they are in receivership.

[mjr]

I should really write to to Currys PC World or one of the other shops to complain (presumably it's a problem with their landlord). Just boycotting a shop without letting them know is not going to change anything. I did start composing an email to Office Outlet (aka Staples), but it's a bit pointless now that they are in receivership.

I can no longer be bothered banging my head against chain store property departments who often play "pass the buck" with letting agents and landlords, so I just report it as a breach of planning law when applicable. I will contact standalone stores first, as there's more chance of someone with power to fix it reading it.

[GrumpyGit]

I have seen that too, the cycle could just be lifted and taken away

Didn't a former Prime Minister once loose a bike that way?

Just shows a top rank university education is no proof of intelligence!