Published on: Thursday, 20 March 2014
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, will visit Hackney Downs rail station on Friday to officially open a new secure Cycle Compound, installed by train operator, Abellio Greater Anglia in partnership with Transport for London (TfL).
The new secure cycle compound has been installed near the station entrance to increase cycle parking capacity and offer improved and more secure storage to cyclists.
Ms Abbott will meet Abellio Greater Anglia’s Station Supervisor, Chris Ward, at 10.30am on Friday 21 March to view the improvements and officially open the new facility.
The new compound will accommodate 32 cycles on 16 two-tier racks and will be situated at the station entrance next to the existing cycle storage facilities.
Access to the compound will be via a key fob system which can be obtained from the ticket office for a refundable deposit.
Abellio Greater Anglia received funding from TfL to install the cycle storage.
Hackney has the highest number of people cycling to work in London and the second highest number in England (after Cambridge) by total numbers. Hackney Council continues to work with TfL, the Mayor of London's Cycling Commissioner and neighbouring central London boroughs to develop a ‘Cycle Grid for Central London’, providing cycle routes that will follow quieter streets with low traffic speeds and volumes in the south of the borough.
These routes will eventually connect with longer distance Quietway routes that will spread throughout the rest of the borough and link up with routes in outer London boroughs.
Andrew Goodrum, Abellio Greater Anglia’s Customer Services Director, said, “We are committed to improving cycle facilities for our customers by installing many more cycle parking spaces and increasing cycle hire opportunities. The new facilities at Hackney Downs will offer customers an improved and more secure cycle storage facility and we are grateful for TfL’s and Hackney Council’s assistance in bringing this project to fruition.”
Diane Abbot, MP, commented, “Being able to securely store bikes is a vital part of getting more people cycling and I welcome the initiative that Abellio Greater Anglia has shown in supporting healthier and greener transport options in Hackney.”
Since the franchise began in February 2012, Abellio Greater Anglia has implemented a wide variety of cycle-focused enhancements including upgrades to existing facilities, creating a new cycle strategy and increasing cycle parking across the network, bringing the total number of cycle spaces to 6,000, as well as increasing cycle hire opportunities.
Abellio Greater Anglia was highly commended in the ‘Operator of the Year’ and the ‘Best Customer Service’ categories at the National Cycle Rail Awards 2012. In presenting the awards, the judges recognised that the train operator has implemented a wide variety of cycle-focused enhancements including upgrades to existing facilities, creating a new cycle strategy and making arrangements for special cycling events.