(sheltered) bicycle parking in London (especially near tubes/train stations)

[ccc rider]

Hi

Is there a directory of such information? I've had a look on the
internet and on this newsgroup and no luck. I used to live outside a
very small town on the south coast and there was sheltered bike
parking at the station for at least 50 bikes!

Currently, I walk to Elephant and Castle/Waterloo to get to Euston.
Then the train to Watford Junction. I want to replace as much as
possible of this journey with cycling (whilst I'm still having to do
this commute ).

My first guess was to cycle up to Euston. There only seems to be a
small number of places to lock a bike and it's not covered, not that
that's going to be put me off but I wondered if there was anything
covered nearby. Or other places: it seems to get totally full up very
quickly. By the way, I'm not too keen about putting the bike on the
train from Euston to Watford because there's no room - I thought Jimmy
Saville encouraged us all to put bikes on the trains!

Other possible bike-leaving possibilities would be Harrow/Wealdstone
but that's 15 miles or so from Elephant.

South Hampstead also, but that's a 40 minute journey to Watford then.

Anyone had any experience of cycling from Central London out to
Watford (for the spring/summer)?!

Off to look for a job in Richmond Park now.

Any help, thanks very much!

cccrider

 

[Tony Raven]

ccc rider wrote:
> Hi
>
> Is there a directory of such information? I've had a look on the
> internet and on this newsgroup and no luck. I used to live outside a
> very small town on the south coast and there was sheltered bike
> parking at the station for at least 50 bikes!
>

There is some information on the TfL cycle maps. AFAIK the only
parking round Euston is by the Travel Centre and most station parking
in London seems to be clogged up with (abandoned?) bikes. Waterloo has
a Bike N Rack place but at £34 a month I'd be tempted to lay out for a
Brompton and take it with you. Big advantage is not having to worry
about finding somewhere to park it, not having to worry that you'll get
back to find some numpty has been amusing himself damaging it and
having it with you in Watford for any errands. If the weather is truly
foul you can always take it on the Tube, bus or taxi across London plus
you save the weight of carrying a lock.

Tony

 

[Phil Cook]

On 7 Nov 2004 02:53:06 -0800, ccc rider wrote:

>Hi
>
>Is there a directory of such information? I've had a look on the
>internet and on this newsgroup and no luck. I used to live outside a
>very small town on the south coast and there was sheltered bike
>parking at the station for at least 50 bikes!
>
>Currently, I walk to Elephant and Castle/Waterloo to get to Euston.
>Then the train to Watford Junction. I want to replace as much as
>possible of this journey with cycling (whilst I'm still having to do
>this commute ).

>By the way, I'm not too keen about putting the bike on the
>train from Euston to Watford because there's no room - I thought Jimmy
>Saville encouraged us all to put bikes on the trains!

That was back in the age of the train. We are now in the age of the
car (ever since Maggie's Bingo gave the poorest the chance to make a
fast buck selling their shares in the formerly publicly owned
utilities and buy a car with the proceeds) and we are all paying the
price of people riding about one instead of many to a tin box.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

 

[congokid]

In message <[email protected]>, ccc rider
<[email protected]> writes

>Is there a directory of such information?

I don't know, but have a look for local NCP car parks (and perhaps other
park operators) as they might have a covered area set aside for bike
parking. I think some might charge.

<http://www.ncp.co.uk/>

If there is a bike park area, note that it may not be covered by the
CCTV system. As I discovered at Poland Street park in Soho some eight or
so years ago when the attendants couldn't show me the video of who
pinched the Brookes saddle and seat post off my bike.

--
congokid
Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

 

[Colin McKenzie]

ccc rider wrote:
> Currently, I walk to Elephant and Castle/Waterloo to get to Euston.
> Then the train to Watford Junction. I want to replace as much as
> possible of this journey with cycling (whilst I'm still having to do
> this commute ).
>
> My first guess was to cycle up to Euston. There only seems to be a
> small number of places to lock a bike and it's not covered, not that
> that's going to be put me off but I wondered if there was anything
> covered nearby.

Under Euston station, there's a car park (near the taxi rank). There's
a roof and room to lock a few bikes to a crash barrier near the
attendant's box. I've done this a few times, leaving the bike over a
weekend. Not sure how they'd react to someone doing it every day.

Colin McKenzie