Campaigners have welcome an announcement by Cardiff Council to expand their provision of secure bike hangars whilst slashing the price of a permit.

Cardiff Council was charging residents £120 a year for the right to use one of 17 hangars, provided by Hooplr (formerly known as Cyclehoop) whose standard price was £72 a year. The pricing was criticised for making cycling “prohibitively expensive”, and costing more than three times the price of a residential car parking permit.

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But now following extended lobbying from local campaigners Cardiff Cycle City, the council has more than halved their annual permit prices to £52 a year. In a press release, the council also announced that 14 additional hangars would be installed shortly, and a further 21 to be installed across the inner-city wards.

Councillor Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport, said, “The first phase of the scheme has been a real success, with strong demand and high occupancy rates. We’re now expanding the scheme while cutting the annual cost of a space to just £1 a week.”

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“At a time when affordability matters more than ever, we want to make cycling an option that works for everyone. Secure cycle storage removes a major barrier for many residents, and this price reduction will help more people save money, travel actively and reduce their dependence on the car.”

Cardiff Cycle City hailed the expansion and price cut as a “victory for people power”.

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“We applaud Cllr De’ath and the local authority for their willingness to engage with us, review the pricing structure, and make a change that prioritises and enables sustainable transport.

“Furthermore, the announcement of a wider rollout is a testament to the immense, pent-up demand for cycle storage in Cardiff. The initial hangars have been a resounding success, proving that when you give people the infrastructure they need, they will use it. Expanding this network means hundreds more families will have the peace of mind to own and ride bikes without worrying about theft or lugging them up narrow flights of stairs.”

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Cardiff Council say the price cut has been achieved through a ‘social value agreement’ which subsidises the hangars as part of a wider project in the city. But despite expansion and price cuts, the cost of a hangar permit remains more expensive than a car equivalent, despite the hangars storing approximately 12 bikes in the same space as a single parked car.