Auckland Transport are after feedback on their design for bike parking at Panmure Station with a view to rolling it out to the rest of the network.

Designs for cycle parking at the new Panmure Railway Station could be wheeled out across the region.

Auckland Transport wants feedback on its designs for safe, dry and secure bike parking at Panmure (attached).

“We think we have created a simple functional structure that provides cyclists with secure and sheltered bike parking, now we want to know if it works for cyclists and other users of Panmure station,” says community transport manager Matthew Rednall.

“Bike parking is going to be rolled-out to stations across Auckland and it’s important we give people something they want and they will use.”

Cycle Action Auckland chair Barbara Cuthbert is keen on developing a practical template for developing bike parking facilities across Auckland. “Good bike parking will encourage more people to combine public transport and cycling and reduce pressure on park and ride. It’s good timing to do this survey while the public is responding to AT’s review of city- wide parking policies. Well done, Auckland Transport.“

Visit www.at.govt.nz/panmurebikepark to view the designs and give feedback. You can have your say until 4 July.

And here’s what it looks like.

Panmure Bike Parking

Panmure Bike Parking 2

And here are two possible layouts

Panmure Bike Layout 1

Panmure Bike Layout 2

Overall this looks like a good addition to the Panmure Station and it would be great to see them at all stations around the network along with on key bus routes. My only concern is that long term they might not be big enough – but I guess that’s not a bad problem to have.

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39 comments

  1. Love it! Though I definitely prefer the first layout. The second layout looks like a waste of space.

  2. Would prefer if they used the budget from this one fancy bike shelter and instead provided simple bike racks at every station. Get a groundswell of cyclists using the trains and use that to justify fancy long term solutions.

    1. Yes, design is a holistic thing: Whatever the architectural merits or otherwise, of this grand gesture, the 2D aspect (AKA graphic design) tells us yet again that AT hasn’t the first iota about what kind of cycling will persuade ANY of the 99% who currently aren’t cycling A to B, to change habits. This is a shelter for the 1%, the enthusiasts. Those people are already cycling and there aren’t any more of them.

      Does any one at AT actually cycle, as a means of TRANSPORT?

  3. I only wonder if they’re seriously underestimating potential usage. It’s a flat area and if decent cycling infrastructure ever is installed I’m sure there’ll be more than 36 cyclists wanting to store their bikes.

    1. Probably the biggest potential bike using customers for this station are residents of Pakuranga. Until Len Brown’s light rail loop from Manukau is built,(with its own dedicated bridge over the Tamaki River), a bike is a reasonable proposition for getting to this station from much of Pakuranga EXCEPT the only route is via the narrow, tidal Panmure Bridge, with the second disincentive of the Panmure roundabout. If these two major biking disincentives are replaced with bike friendly route solutions I would suspect a minimum of 200 bike racks would be a good start for any bike park at the Panmure Station.

  4. Seems like a waste of money for just a few bikes. A bus style shelter that spans that entire side of that plaza with bike loops, lighting and CCTV would be sufficient. Maybe with the spare cash AT can do this at a few more stations.

  5. Looks great. Of course with such a low number of parks and the inevitable abandoned bikes, often cannibalised for parts, it may fill up very quickly. Would strongly recommend AT think bigger!

    1. There is supposedly one right under the station (AMETI Road), but on the surface/Station level? No cycleways to speak of.

      1. The cycleways in the area all hinge on AMETI, and are mostly to come in next phase:

        New link road – has shared path west side and cycle lanes both sides

        AMETI overbridge – standard cycle lanes

        Future busway – shared path from Panmure to Panmure Bridge, then protected cycle-only cycleway all the way to Pakuranga Town Centre

        Also several Greenways / neighbourhood cycleway plans in relatively advances stages for the area to northeast.

        So mid-term, looking good, though connections to the west from Panmure will likely remain crap for the longer future.

  6. Way too much effort (cost) for little reward. Covered parks are great in wet weather but a fully enclosed space is not necessary. This reduces flexibility and efficiency. Narrow entrance could be a squeeze with people coming in and out at peak times. A simpler and more efficient solution would be more effective. A much larger covered space, a simple and efficient organization of parks with the option to upgrade to double stacked racks.

    1. The bikes are covered, but the bus passengers have to get wet going from station to bus stop. Why can’t AT provide covered walk ways when they design new stations? In fact, why didn’t they put a roof right over the whole bus stop area?

      1. AND a cover for the kiss and ride passengers to get from the station building to and from a car would really improve this station’s practicality from my family’s point of view.

  7. I’m not concerned about the parking being closed in as it would be useful if was secured with HOP card access. I personally would rather a secured facility and would be prepared to pay a small fee to use it.

    1. No problem with that idea, but suggest that Registered HOP cards only should be usable for access that way AT have some record (of sorts) of who is accessing the area.

    2. When i’m rushing for the bus or train, the last thing i want to be doing is trying to pull out a swipe card to get access as they are proposing here. Waiting for the door to slowly open, locking my bike, pressing the button to get out, waiting for it to slowly open…

      It will also discourage casual users, i would bike to the station but i wont as i haven’t quite got around to applying for a swipe card.

      I bike to the bus at victoria park every day. All I want is something solid to lock my bike to, instead of the bus stop sign that i currently use. The cost of this thing could see proper bike parks at 100s of bus and train locations.

  8. Great, except no way you would want to bike to Panmure station, all the roads around there are terrible.

  9. Looks like the most expensive bike rack ever. Have AT hired an American defence contractor to do their designs?

  10. The top option shows 24 bikes inside with the option to double stack the second rack making 32 in door parks. Outside there are show 12 parks. Some people like fully enclosed parks, others are happy with over head cover only. This could be used at larger stations and just use overhead cover at smaller ones.

  11. AT seriously cannot win. People either complain that they’re not doing enough and doing the bare minimum, or in the case they’re being extravagant and spending too much. I think if this is going to be user-pays utility for people to know their bike is safe, then why not. But I also think a simpler solution is to have a basic open space with roof cover and good security for bikes too.

    1. exaucklanderinsydney,

      Appreciate the sentiment, but in fairness AT hardly seems like they’re trying. Unfortunately, it is possible to spend too little on quality investments (damned if they don’t), and it is possible to waste too much on poor investments (damned if they do). Fortunately, it is also possible to spend more money on the right things, and less money on the wrong things (but, damn it, they won’t).

      For instance, AT could have escaped damnation for any number of actions: baking bike parking into the initial project; quickly and cheaply rolling out a proper street grid of local area cycle treatments before this or simultaneously; offering a wider range of parking options to consult on; providing a more ambitious parking capacity while saving on over-engineered bike racks and structures; including HOP integration (currently ruled out) or bike share; etc etc.

      As it is, they should be granted token praise for making a token effort. So it’s not all bad.

  12. Perhaps they could consider proper racks instead of those rubbish staple things which scratch paint and don’t actually support the bike. I used a rack at AUT tonight (gate 2 Wellesley st?) Which was much better and probably more space efficient than these.

  13. From the site plan on the AT site it looks like there is plenty of room to expand this facility; but it does look awfully like it would not be easy to extend this / join multiple units into a larger whole. Am I the only one who thinks this might be important, here and elsewhere?

  14. It may be nice from a cycle infrastructure porn perspective, but it’s a bit of a waste of time. Just provide rows of outdoor bike racks for people to lock their bikes to. No building is needed, no cover is needed. Why do you need a cover to stay dry if you’re about to get on a bike and ride home in the rain anyway? If it’s because you don’t want to leave your bike in the rain all day then clearly you’re commuting on a bike that is too expensive. Why should ratepayers look after it for you? Do those that support this really believe that it is worth spending the entire rates payments of an entire street on?

      1. +1 nick1234 the next thing deemed necessary will be a cyclists cafe.
        Another point would be to have a limit on the duration of bike ‘parking’ otherwise there will be some that leave their bikes there for use when they feel like it thereby reducing the available space.

        1. Actually really practical cycle/train commute use means you should expect bikes to be parked over weekend and holidays at stations which are not being used. I used to work with a colleague in an inner London school who cycled on two old small-wheeled bikes on his daily commute. When I asked him why he didn’t get a better bike to ride to work he explained he locked his bicycle under a Waterloo Station rail bridge arch during the evenings, the weekend and school holidays and had only had the seat stolen once in over 2 and a half years. His other bike got locked at a rack at a south London suburban station during the day but did get to stay at home during weekends and holidays. His commute kept a car out of central London,

  15. The first layout is better. Maximise the space by introduce more double height rack. Better to put cctv too for security purpose.

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