Bike storage for train commuting cyclists. Image: Matt Cornock
Before it became popular to ride a bike to work, it was unlikely that train stations had the space allocated for people to park their two-wheeled vehicles.
It has been especially problematic for bike riders living in the outer suburbs of Sydney if they work in the CBD, having to buy an extra ticket to cover when they take their bikes on the train with them. It would also be ridiculously impractical to push a bike over the 50km distances that many commuters whether on a daily basis.
So something had to be done to accommodate the growing number of people choosing to maximise their environmentally friendly travel credentials as much as possible.
As part of the New South Wales government’s Bike and Ride initiative, which is identified in Sydney’s Cycling Future, Transport for NSW will install bike storage facilities at train stations across the outer suburbs of Sydney.
The bike sheds will also be delivered as a part of the NSW government’s Transport Access Program, “a program delivering modern, secure and accessible transport infrastructure”.
The government will install ‘bike sheds’ that will provide secure spaces at more than 40 train stations and transport interchanges around Sydney and surrounding regions.
One of the first stations that will receive these bike sheds will be Campbelltown Station, which is about 50km southwest of the CBD – a prime candidate for such an installation to take place because of its long distance from where most commuters work.
At Campbelltown Station, a bike shed with 30 spaces will be made available for customers, and is expected to begin construction at the start of 2016.
As if the convenience of these spaces for cyclists wasn’t enough, they will also be free for users and can be accessed using their OPAL cards.
Transport for NSW awarded a contract to bicycle parking company Bike Storage to deliver the first nine locations, including Campbelltown, which were selected based on demand and patronage at these locations.
The nine locations selected for the installation of bike sheds include the following stations: Campbelltown, Liverpool, Blacktown, Gosford, Woy Woy, Hornsby, Parramatta, Penrith, as well as Redfern in the innercity.
According to Transport for NSW, the contract value will be disclosed on the E-tender website tenders.nsw.gov.au in the coming weeks.
