Dundee council bosses hope building city “bike hangers” will get more people cycling.
Dundonians will pay £6 per space every month to store the bikes in the pods, which will be built across the city.
City officials expect the scheme, operated by bike infrastructure company Cyclehoop, to cost around £225,000, if approved.
Lochee, Douglas, St Marys and Menzieshill are all likely locations for the hangers. There will be six units initially, rising to 40.
A committee will decide the exact location for each hanger. Some of the units could replace on-street car parking spaces, according to the plans.
Cycling campaigners have welcomed the proposal and called for an initial free period for users until the scheme becomes more established.
Council officials hope the idea will help tackle some of lowest levels of bike ownership in Scotland.
Difficult to store bikes in tenements
Councillors will vote on the proposal on Monday evening.
The plan states: “Dundee has a high proportion of its population living in older tenement properties which have limited space available for cycle storage.
“Often the tenements have narrow central stairwells that can present constraints for storing and moving bicycles and where cycles are stored in communal space, this can cause an obstruction.
“The introduction of secure cycle storage will assist in overcoming barriers to bike ownership, and the ability of residents to travel more sustainably and lead more active, healthier lives.”
The scheme is already a success in Glasgow, where Cyclehoop operates 140 hangers, and in Edinburgh, with 90 units. Occupancy rates are currently 92%.
Around eight in 10 households in Dundee do not have access to a bike, according to the 2019 Scottish Household Survey.
Plan ‘may require the removal of on-street parking bays’
A group of Dundee City Council officers working with the company will decide on exact locations for the hangers, if councillors approve the plan.
“Where off-street locations can be used without compromising pedestrian movement or impacting negatively on the public realm, these will be used.
“In some locations, units may be secured on the road carriageway and may require the removal of on-street parking bays,” officials warn.
If the units are not well used then they will likely be relocated, the proposal suggests.
Groups have put forward a number of initiatives to promote cycling in the city, including giving school children free bikes.
A Dundee Cycling Forum spokesperson suggested the scheme merits a free trial period.
“We welcome the introduction of the high-quality residential cycle parking scheme from Cyclehoop with a proposed starting point of six units.
“However, consideration should be given to waving the £6 per month for an initial period.
“This will help promote the scheme, in much the same way as charging and parking fees were subsidised at the introduction of the electric vehicle infrastructure scheme.”
The plan draws on external funding linked to air quality and better housing.
Conversation