The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) and Network Rail have launched a competition to design a range of flexible bike parking facilities that can be rolled out at different times and locations to support cyclists using railway stations.
The open call invites architects, designers and engineers to create a prototype installation, testing new ideas on how railway stations can adapt to the changing demand in bike parking provision and allowing Network Rail to provide additional bike storage for cyclists, whilst they make their onward journeys.
The need for additional cycling racks is that over the last decade, stations have experienced a significant increase in the demand for bike parking, coinciding with the rapid implementation of pop-up bike lanes across cities.
The competition brief calls for bike storage ideas that can adapt to fluctuating demand through different seasons, weather conditions or major public events.
Following an initial expression of interest stage, up to six shortlisted teams will be paid an honorarium of £500 to work up an outline proposal. A winning team will be appointed in November 2021 and awarded £12,000 to develop a fully costed, feasible design that can be delivered in June 2022 at one of Network Rail’s London stations as part of the London Festival of Architecture.
Details are here.
Mechanised cycle storage tower (with digital access) that is proof to angle grinder attack and other cutting attacks is what’s needed (also to make best use of scarce space at larger stations)
The £12k isn’t the prize for the designer, that’s the cost including construction, installation and removal of the scheme. the winner is going to get £4k which will barely cover their cost, let alone the hundreds of hours that people will spend on the initial proposals, basically everyone will lose a little money on this except the winners who will lose more and have to do some all-nighters. oh and they need to hold £5m liability insurance.
Er, have they not heard of ‘The Netherlands’? The most comprehensive bike storage systems in the universe, check out the monster at Amsterdam Centraal, for instance.
Er, do you want to read the article again? This project is seeking temporary cycle racks that can be deployed as needed.