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Large vehicle may have crashed into controversial bike hangar, council says

The crushed hangar, which sparked a backlash from furious motorists after it was installed in a car parking space last year, was removed at the weekend, but no bikes were damaged or stolen

A controversial bike hangar, which incited a furious backlash from outraged motorists in November when it was installed in a car parking space, has been removed by Brighton and Hove City Council after it was crushed and damaged over the weekend by a suspected “large vehicle”.

The cycle hangar in Norfolk Square, one of 60 installed in the city since July 2022, appears to have been damaged while residents’ bikes were stored inside it (a photo of the damage, which seems to show a crack in the unit’s roof, causing the front of the hangar to pop out, can be found on the Argus’ website).

However, the council has said that no bikes were damaged or stolen following the “unfortunate incident”, believed to have caused by a motorist, and that a replacement hangar will be delivered “soon”.

The new cycle hangars, which offer secure storage for six bicycles, have proven a somewhat surprising and enduring source of contention in Brighton and Hove in recent months.

> Hove woman persuades council not to locate “unattractive” cycle hangar outside her home 

With 150 hangars expected to be rolled out across the city by the spring, and a waiting list stretching into the hundreds, they have proven hugely popular with many local residents looking for somewhere to securely store their bikes.

However, the units have also attracted the ire of some locals who claim that they are an eyesore and take up too much space, despite the hangars being able to fit in a space usually reserved for one car.

While opposition to the hangars appears to be spread across the city – earlier this month we reported that a group of unhappy residents surrounded contractors preparing to install one of the units in Hove – the hangar in Norfolk Square has undoubtedly generated the most outrage, both on social media and in the press.

> Council "investigating" after driver outrage at cycle hangar "deliberately" blocking car parking spaces

In November, we reported that the positioning of that particular hangar, taking up two residents permit car parking spaces, was met with such outrage that the council was forced to “investigate” its controversial placement.

One resident described the hangar’s installation as “madness” and as part of the “continuing war against motorists” apparently waged by Brighton and Hove City Council.

“It creates this hate between residents and car owners. I think it should be removed and put inside the square and that way there wouldn’t be a problem,” 72-year-old Bill Young said in November.

Judging by Young’s comments, it’s perhaps no surprise then that opponents of the cycle hangar scheme aren’t too displeased by its destruction and temporary disappearance in Norfolk Square.

“It looked as if a heavy weight had been dropped on the top, forcing the up and over lid to buckle and open at the bottom,” Laura King, who has consistently campaigned against the hangars on social media, told the Argus.

“It's good to see this hangar gone from Norfolk Square today and two stolen residential parking spaces back.”

> Residents “threatened with police” after “surrounding” contractors installing bike hangar

However, the council has insisted that a replacement hangar is on the way, though it’s not clear yet whether the forced removal of the original unit will prompt a rethink of its positioning in the square.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “This is a very unfortunate incident. Our contractor has now taken the damaged hangar away today and they will be delivering a replacement soon.

“At this stage it’s unclear what caused the damage, but our contractor believes a large vehicle may have crashed into it.

“We’re checking whether there is any CCTV footage that could help pinpoint the cause.

“Before removing the hangar our contractor got in touch with the residents whose bikes were in there. Our understanding is that no bikes were stolen or damaged.”

Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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16 comments

Avatar
Adam Sutton | 1 year ago
1 like

Almost tempting to go and buy a piece of shite car for a ton that has a bit of MOT on it, can be taxed and insured for peanuts, then just leave it in the parking space.

Avatar
Car Delenda Est | 1 year ago
3 likes

My favourite from the Argus comments:

moveiton wrote:

Don't remove a parking space for it, which is precious in that area.
Place it on the double yellows, make room for it.
Then I doubt there will be any more damage.

Avatar
ubercurmudgeon | 1 year ago
10 likes

Quote:

Laura King, who has consistently campaigned against the hangars on social media, told the Argus, "It's good to see this hangar gone from Norfolk Square today and two stolen residential parking spaces back."

She's really said the entitled bit out loud there. The parking spaces were stolen from them, were they? Funny, I thought the public highway was a municipal resource.

Avatar
giff77 | 1 year ago
8 likes

Just wondering if Ms King would be rejoicing  if it was her motor that was smashed up while parked up in one of the bays. 

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brooksby | 1 year ago
6 likes

It's the same as with wands/bollards for cycle lanes.

Council spends money to do something --->

some people throw their toys out of the pram (because it isn't being spent on them) and damage or remove the 'things' (wands/bike hangars) --->

council spends more money to replace/repair the 'things' --->

the same people then complain that the council is spending so much money.

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
1 like

Almost!

You missed the multiple loops around missing budget spending deadlines of due to unfilled staff posts, more delays when staff leave, hiring external consultants (often staff who left...), the consultation with "stakeholders" blowing up because 3 parking spaces have gone, scheme being scaled back due to delays and push-back, final "consultation" with public which is ignored by everyone ... then finally we get to your step 2 when people wake up to find they can't park where they did before!  THEY'RE ROBBING US BLIND AND TAKING OUR RIGHTS!

TBF - if your council is Edinburgh - in between all that they've managed to find 776 million for a tram scheme with only 1 line, which operates at a yearly loss of (checks) several million, and then pushed on with "completing" this for another 207 million (so far) for an extra 3 miles of line.

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 1 year ago
3 likes

And when it is replaced, hopefully with an additional crash resistant bollard.

"It's good to see this hangar returned to Norfolk Square today and six stolen residential cycle storage spaces back".

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HarrogateSpa | 1 year ago
5 likes

We'll know we live in a civilised country the day journalists can refer to a 'bike hangar' not a 'controversial bike bike hangar.'

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eburtthebike | 1 year ago
11 likes

I always find it incredible that one group of people can claim the rights to public space to store their private property, and are affronted and driven to hatred when other people do the same.

Avatar
brooksby | 1 year ago
6 likes

Now - is that

Quote:

Large vehicle may have crashed into controversial bike hangar, council says

or should it perhaps be

Quote:

Large vehicle may have been crashed into controversial bike hangar, council says

(especially given that my suspicious nature doubts that it was an accident...).

Avatar
Bmblbzzz | 1 year ago
0 likes

The positioning of that hangar does look odd if compared to the marked parking bays, as it leaves a space at the end that's not quite enough for a car and so appears unused/unusable. But equally, I'd question why the marked bay allows or allowed cars to be parked over the entrance to the square's garden. 

Avatar
Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
6 likes

Quote:

A controversial bike hangar, which incited a furious backlash from outraged motorists in November when it was installed in a car parking space

IIRC there were only three motorists quoted at the time (who may indeed have been furious), one of them being the Laura King character whom someone on here (sorry, forgotten who) showed to be pretty much Brighton's serial complainer about absolutely everything.

When told there's "outrage" or a "huge backlash" about something I think it's always worth remembering the late Clive James' wise words: "It only takes half a dozen people to jam a switchboard with complaints, particularly if they have the number on speed dial and are hovering over the telephone just waiting for a chance to be outraged."

Avatar
Simon_MacMichael replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
2 likes

I can't remember who it was on Twitter last week referred to opposition to active travel schemes etc as 'Five Guys' (because that is usually pretty much what it is, albeit ones that shout loudly) - hits the nail on the head.

On that thread, point was made that often, the people objecting know their way around council processes etc (whether because they have that background, or are being briefed by councillors opposed to such schemes), and are therefore pretty skilled at delaying or frustrating them.

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to Simon_MacMichael | 1 year ago
2 likes

Simon_MacMichael wrote:

I can't remember who it was on Twitter last week referred to opposition to active travel schemes etc as 'Five Guys' (because that is usually pretty much what it is, albeit ones that shout loudly) - hits the nail on the head.

On that thread, point was made that often, the people objecting know their way around council processes etc (whether because they have that background, or are being briefed by councillors opposed to such schemes), and are therefore pretty skilled at delaying or frustrating them.

if only they would stick to burgers, insted of getting involved in town planning.

Avatar
Muddy Ford | 1 year ago
4 likes

Replace the hangar with a large ugly 3.5 ton truck that the cyclists can store their bikes inside. The residents claiming that 2 parking spaces have been stolen will soon want the old hangar back.

Avatar
Simon_MacMichael replied to Muddy Ford | 1 year ago
9 likes

Muddy Ford wrote:

Replace the hangar with a large ugly 3.5 ton truck that the cyclists can store their bikes inside. The residents claiming that 2 parking spaces have been stolen will soon want the old hangar back.

Great idea. Reminds me of Adam Tranter's parklet van. 

https://twitter.com/adamtranter/status/1523251588239790081

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