Helping Hackney become the top borough in London for cycle hangar availability

A recent report shared in the South West Londoner has highlighted the alarming length of cycle hangar waitlists in London - but it’s not all bad news. Following our work with Hackney Council, the area now ranks as the top area in London to access on-street cycle storage.

Causing not only a frustrating bottleneck for cyclists with thousands of residents blocked from active travel, the lack of secure storage also contributes to the steep incline of bike theft across the capital.

The data paints a stark picture of the challenges facing urban cyclists. In boroughs like Lambeth, nearly 14,000 applicants are stuck on waiting lists for secure on-street cycle hangars. The lack of secure storage provisions means that cyclists now have to choose between exposing their bike to theft by leaving bikes on the street or abandoning active travel entirely.

While parts of London grapple with overwhelming bottlenecks, the London Borough of Hackney is demonstrating how strategic infrastructure planning can successfully match community demand. Hackney has officially become the top borough in London for the availability of cycle hangars with 1,424 hangars in place - and we installed 675 of them within the first two years of the council's activation project. 

Activating active travel in Hackney

Our journey with the borough reached a historic milestone when Hackney became the first UK council to install its 1,000th bike hangar. Following our installation of our VeloBoxes, we played a pivotal role in unlocking over 6,000 secure cycle spaces for local residents.

We’re incredibly proud to be part of this success for Hackney and our work directly highlights a core philosophy behind our products, that cycling should be an easier and safer choice. 

With bike theft on the rise, product quality is key in keeping security at the forefront. And for our VeloBox design, the smallest detail makes the biggest difference. By designing units that maximise internal spatial efficiency and utilising premium, robust materials, we ensure that we install solutions that endure conditions of urban environments and prioritise security. 

In Hackney, this commitment to quality means hundreds of lockable storage units are actively helping residents safely unlock their daily active travel goals. And today, we continue to work with the council to install more units to tackle rising waiting lists. 

Keeping the pace to meet demand

What stands out in this report is that public appetite for cycling is sky-high and if councils are serious about prioritising active travel, they need to keep up with the pace to get the right infrastructure in place. 

David Wray, Managing Director at Grease Monkey shared: “If infrastructure isn’t in place, people are immediately excluded and inspiration starts to dwindle. Without accessible and secure parking, the cycle network breaks down before a resident even leaves their front door.

“Hackney is setting a new standard for active travel and the borough's ambitious rollout program proves that a proactive, scalable rollout of high-quality storage is entirely possible.”

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The solution to London’s waitlist crisis exists, and it is already on the ground. If you are a local authority leader, urban developer or infrastructure planner looking to clear your borough’s waitlists and protect your residents' property, let's build something designed to last.