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Cycle Hub with 300 secure parking spaces for Salford's MediaCityUK

Transport for Greater Manchester unveils plans for site that houses organisations including the BBC

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has submitted plans for a new cycle hub at MediaCityUK in Salford that it hopes will encourage staff working for organisations that have made their home there such as the BBC, ITV and the University of Salford to commute on two wheels.

If the plans are approved, the cycle hub, which has secure parking for 300 bikes covered by CCTV and with smartcard access, would open in summer 2014 and join others throughout Greater Manchester at locations including Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne and at City Tower in Manchester City Centre.

Membership would start from as little as £2 a week, with annual and monthly options.

Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM Committee, commented: “It’s great to see MediaCityUK’s new cycle hub take that next step to becoming a reality.

“MediaCityUK is now one of the region’s major employers, with over 200 businesses on-site, and we want to make travel to work there as sustainable as possible. We already have frequent direct Metrolink and bus services and we know there is huge demand to cycle too.

“The cycle hub will allow people to leave their bikes behind in safety, as well as offering a place to take a shower and store their belongings.

“Along with affordable membership rates we hope a hub at MediaCityUK will encourage more people to join the thousands who are already commuting by bike.”

Stephen Wild, managing director of MediaCityUK, added: “Bikes have become the must-use mode of transport for persons working, living or visiting MediaCityUK, so it is fantastic to partner with TfGM to bring the cycle hub to our community.

“It promises to be a great addition and is just one of many exciting initiatives that we aim to roll out to encourage more people to get on their bikes and utilise the many safe and attractive routes that connect to MediaCityUK.”

More details on the facility can be found here, and TfGM says it will hold two drop-in sessions at MediaCityUK’s Open Centre, from 12-2pm on Thursday 20 February and Tuesday 25 February, "to answer questions and listen to feedback, which will help inform the final design."

Following the BBC beginning its move of much of its operations to MediaCityUK in 2011, concerns were expressed about the security of staff working there.

In April 2012, Mirror.co.uk reported that workers were being offered escorts to accompany them to their cars and tram stops due to concerns about personal safety following a number of thefts of phones and laptops, as well as a cyclist being hit by a pellet from an air rifle.

One BBC employee based there told the newspaper: “I don’t know what they expected moving a bunch of staff from the relatively calm and peaceful White City to Salford – it’s pretty rough here and some staff genuinely worry about getting home, especially after finishing late.

“Hardly any of the big names live in the area and swan in and out of the place as fast as Virgin trains will take them.”

But in response to that and other reports, the Manchester Evening News cited Home Office figures showing that the Salford postcode for the BBC's MediaCityUK had an average of 291 reported crimes a month in the past year, while that of the broadcaster's former home at White City in London had six times as many, with a monthly average of 1,743.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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8 comments

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pauldavies83 | 10 years ago
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There is already plenty of cycle stands around the campus, and a locked/sheltered facility for BBC staff to use.

What there isn't is a collection of useful, safe routes to MediaCityUK to/from Manchester, other suburbs or public transport terminuses. What's the point of having somewhere to park, if there is no decent way of getting there in the first place?

Salford's latest "upgrade" to facilities are on Broadway directly behind MCUK - £1m spent on a few signs allowing cycling on the pavement (if you can avoid the excessive street furniture) before being dumped over the curb back into traffic as you approach traffic lights.

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farrell | 10 years ago
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You just wait until TfGM and Sustrans get their grubby mitts on the Velocity money.

"We've spent £20 million on improving cycling"

No, you've spent £10 million on "consultancy" fees to your mates and £4990000 on building things for private companies to make money from and ten grand on pouring green paint over potholed shite.

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Notsmallpaul replied to farrell | 10 years ago
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farrell wrote:

You just wait until TfGM and Sustrans get their grubby mitts on the Velocity money.

"We've spent £20 million on improving cycling"

No, you've spent £10 million on "consultancy" fees to your mates and £4990000 on building things for private companies to make money from and ten grand on pouring green paint over potholed shite.

Best. Post. Ever!

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
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Seems to me TFGM are using our (as in Manchester peoples) very scant cycling budget to fill the gap two very wealthy organisations (ie Peel, the building owners and the BBC, the buildings tenants) should be filling themselves because they have not provided, as farrell says, adequate cycling provision.
I have anecdotal evidence from BBC employees that the secure cycle facilities are woeful and filled up almost immediately and many staff are forced to lock up their bikes outside.
Once again, as at the City Tower, a certain strata of cyclist is being catered for and the rest of us poor sops have to take our chances on non existent infrastructure and the high possibility of having our truly beloved steeds nicked if we leave them for more than two minutes, locked up or otherwise.
Force developers to include decent facilities (at their expense) in buildings, spend the TFGM money instead on decent infrastructure and cheap, pay as go, secure bike parking for us lot who are merely cement truck fodder.

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farrell | 10 years ago
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farrell | 10 years ago
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Why didn't Media City and TfGM just factor in secure parking facilities when the place was being built?

More importantly, why do TfGM insist on driving forwards these Bike Hubs? Every time they survey cyclists in Manchester they come up well near the bottom, even with TfGM asking leading (or misleading) questions and skewing the results to make them seem more important.

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northstar replied to farrell | 10 years ago
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farrell wrote:

Why didn't Media City and TfGM just factor in secure parking facilities when the place was being built?

More importantly, why do TfGM insist on driving forwards these Bike Hubs? Every time they survey cyclists in Manchester they come up well near the bottom, even with TfGM asking leading (or misleading) questions and skewing the results to make them seem more important.

Membership would start from as little as £2 a week, with annual and monthly options.

I'd hazard a guess that is why, all this could have been provided for free from the out start but you all know the rest...

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themartincox | 10 years ago
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300, thats a good number. so that's 1.5 spaces per business....

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