Woo hoo - but what would you do?



On 20 Sep 2006 14:25:11 -0700, "David Martin"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Tom Crispin wrote:
>
>> Exactly my thoughts too. When this came up at a governors premises
>> committee meeting some time ago the school's premises manager said,
>> "if more cycle to school we'll just have to find space for their
>> bikes.". And I expect space is much more at a premium in an inner
>> london school than most other schools.

>
>I think the school is afraid of a situation where 60 kids turn up on
>bikes for 20 places in the bike sheds, someones bike gets
>damaged/nicked 'because it wasn't in the bike shed' and the school
>ends up with parents complaining etc. Or in a possible scenario, over
>100 kids turn up on bikes!
>
>I'd love it to be a turn up free for all. I'd suggest that they have
>some crowd barriers available to make an enclosure to act as an
>overflow, and then use that as an arguement for more facilities.
>
>Parents should get a note explaining that demand may exceed spaces in
>the bike shed and the school can accept no responsibility yada yada
>yada..


Our first new shed opened without any drama, one or two bikes. The
second has been full since day 1 - but only because by that time the
first was bursting at the seams. I'm now thinking about how the
second can be extended to an Amsterdam Primary School type facility
with capacity for up to 100 bikes. The costs of covered storage are
astronomical, especially when you have to dig out earth and lay a hard
foundation. I reckon at least £10,000 for an additional 40 places.

If your children's school has any real concerns, perhaps a phased
opening. Week 1, P7 only, week 2, P6 and P7, and so on. If the racks
overflow, simply find space for the extra bikes. Schools usually have
plenty of railing space which provides a secure locking point.
 
[email protected] said the following on 20/09/2006 23:53:

> I remember a neighbour getting their car out of the garage to take their
> (8yo) child to school, then putting it back in the garage afterwards. Their
> house shared a boundary with the school!


I used to live dead opposite a school (which made life awkward
sometimes). I used to see kids being dropped off to school from less
than 1/4 mile away. Just a few hundred yards. Not quite school
boundaries, but still stupidly close to be driven in. The laughable
thing was that if I went to the corner shop, which was about 1/4 mile
away, it was always quicker to walk than negotiate loads of badly parked
cars all trying to park at the school gate. At the same time.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/
 
Tom Crispin wrote:
>
> Our first new shed opened without any drama, one or two bikes. The
> second has been full since day 1 - but only because by that time the
> first was bursting at the seams. I'm now thinking about how the
> second can be extended to an Amsterdam Primary School type facility
> with capacity for up to 100 bikes. The costs of covered storage are
> astronomical, especially when you have to dig out earth and lay a hard
> foundation. I reckon at least £10,000 for an additional 40 places.


We have the advantage that it is all hardstanding already so costs are
much lower.

>
> If your children's school has any real concerns, perhaps a phased
> opening. Week 1, P7 only, week 2, P6 and P7, and so on. If the racks
> overflow, simply find space for the extra bikes. Schools usually have
> plenty of railing space which provides a secure locking point.


This is broadly what I have suggested to the DHT in the letter going in
this morning. I suggested that if there is an ovrflow, they should make
a temporary enclosure using something like crowd barriers until extra
rack spaces can be provided. Unfortunately there is not a huge amount
of appropriate railing, and I am not sure where the racks will be
sited.

...d
 
>I would like to suggest hat
>each class has one rack every week and that 6 spaces could be used by a
>different 2 classes each week. Older pupils could make sure that the
>racks were only used by pupils with a special token. Do you think this
>is a good idea? YES/NO Do you have any other suggestions? Please write
>you ideas on the back of this slip and retrn it to Xxxxxx tomorrow.


Great idea, if and only if teachers get car parking spaces every other week.
Better yet, canibalize 3 car parking spaces for an additional 20 bike spaces.
 
Marc Brett said the following on 21/09/2006 09:48:

> Great idea, if and only if teachers get car parking spaces every other week.
> Better yet, canibalize 3 car parking spaces for an additional 20 bike spaces.


I like your thinking there!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/
 
Paul Boyd wrote:
> Marc Brett said the following on 21/09/2006 09:48:
>
> > Great idea, if and only if teachers get car parking spaces every other week.
> > Better yet, canibalize 3 car parking spaces for an additional 20 bike spaces.

>
> I like your thinking there!


One minor problem.. there are no on site car parking spaces for staff.
All school grounds are either buildings, the garden/adventure
playground, a herbaceous border, or tarmac playground.

The only railings where bikes could be left would provide an obvious
hazard to those using the marked football/netball pitch.

...d
 
In article <[email protected]>
David Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Paul Boyd wrote:
> > David Martin said the following on 21/09/2006 10:18:
> >
> > > One minor problem.. there are no on site car parking spaces for staff.

> >
> > Ah!!!

>
> http://www.compbio.dundee.ac.uk/~dmamartin/school.png
>
> The only accessible railings are on the LHS, adjacent to the pitch. All
> other boundaries are either 8ft stone walls or (by the main road)
> shrubbery adjacent to railings on a 3ft stone wall.
>

All you have to do is anchor a length of cable or chain to the ground
next to the wall to give them something to attach their locks to.
 
David Martin wrote:
> Some
> children tried to cycle but were told not to as there was no sensible
> palace to leave the bikes.


Do they need a palace? Surely a shed would do.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine