The council told workers who have been siting dozens of bike hangars around Brighton and Hove to call the police if challenged by the public.
The revelation came at a town hall meeting last night (Thursday 15 December) as a Conservative councillor complained that the policy had been brought in “by the back door”.
The Greens said that councillors had had a number of chances to debate the introduction of bike hangars – and that they were proving popular with residents who “really want them”.
But Labour said that the zealous approach risked alienating those who would otherwise support measures to boost “active travel”.
The row played out at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting where the Tories and Labour called for a detailed report on bike hangars.
Conservative councillor Robert Nemeth said that the scheme had not had proper scrutiny before more than 60 hangars appeared on the streets of Brighton and Hove.
Councillor Nemeth said that officials should prepare a report setting out the financial, legal and equality aspects of the scheme.
He said that the green hangars were “unbeautiful objects springing up in inappropriate places” and added: “One underlying issue is that the council introduced the hangars without going through the usual channels – by the back door as it were.
“Those of us who serve on transport committee are well used to debating controversial issues and we do our best to scrutinise and improve any such policies before us. Financial, legal and equalities issues are all within our remit.
“But cycle hangars haven’t had a proper public airing. There was a brief mention in the ‘budget council’ paperwork and some ‘traffic regulation order’ consultations for the most controversial placements but never a proper debate on the principle.”
Councillor Nemeth said that more opportunities to scrutinise the policy could have headed off public concerns.
Labour councillor John Allcock backed calls for a report which, he said, should include the criteria used to decide where the bike hangars are sited.
He criticised the advice sent to installation workers telling them to call the police if they were challenged by residents.
Outside the meeting, Councillor Allcock said that he became aware of the advice after people in a Hove street contacted him.
Residents in Cissbury Road were expecting a cycle hangar in their street – but two were sited there this month despite their objections.
When residents asked workers what was going on, they were shown an email advising the hangar installers to call the police “if there was any trouble”.
Councillor Allcock said: “It’s certainly highly inappropriate and unhelpful to threaten well-meaning and responsible citizens with a call to the police when they question how council services are being implemented in their neighbourhood.
“I’m very afraid that this zealot-like behaviour will only alienate citizens from engaging in the process of active travel rather than govern by consensus and win support.”
Labour back the bike hangars in principle, Councillor Allcock said, because they helped people living in flats and shared houses who were unable to store a bike at home.
Green councillor Hannah Allbrooke said that there had been “plenty” of opportunities to debate and vote on cycle hangars because they were in the “local transport plan” which was agreed by the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee.
She said: “We saw from the responses to the survey last year that residents really want them. With so many people living in shared accommodation, flats or houses where storage space is at a premium, it can be so difficult for people to find spaces to store their cycles.
“The locations of those hangars are determined by where people asked for them.”
Conservative and Labour councillors voted in favour of a report on the scheme being presented to the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee.
Bicycle hangers the final straw? What about heavy handedness and back door antics with the school streets ‘process’, the OSR cycle lane, prioritising the new pavement (that literally goes no where) on Withdean Road, while systematically neglecting and making other pavements inaccessible across the the city, what about this administrations general prioritisation and management of limited resources, what about equality and inclusivity, public toilets, the LTN farce? Whatever happened to objectivity, transparency and accountability, due process. Instead systematic failure of process, scrutiny and adherence to public standards.
The school streets… Where they closed a few short streets to allow young school children to not run over by road users who may be rushing to pick up their children etc…
Or the bike hangers… So cyclists can actually own a decent bike because the police don’t respond to bike theft and therefore it is essentially decriminalised.
LTN – a basic concept successful in this and other countries for decades, directing through traffic into the appropriately sized main roads around the neighborhood, and allowing residents to use their spaces more safely and with less pollution. More disingenuous arguments that a simple Google search will show you are hot air…”more pollution, more traffic etc” are debunked.
Most of your gripes are about basic progress and others are a result of central government funding cuts. Usual people vote for one thing and then use the consequences as political fodder against their opposition. What next, “wEEdS oN tHE pAvEMeNt”
Joris Bohnson
The school street.
So a few roads are closed during certain times, the risk of a child being run over a good reason and one that can’t be questioned. However, to suggest it’s parents rushing to pick up their children begs the response of, actually any motorists could be involved in an incident, if they are rushing or not.
Cyclists have a responsibility to secure their own bikes and to blame the police who you say don’t respond to a bike theft is so poor, what do you want them to do other than record the incident, turn up with blue lights and Claxton’s blaring.
LTN’s a poor concept that has in fact had mixed results with at least one London Borough removing many.
You talk rubbish, directing traffic through a neighbourhood when a more direct route is already in place is very surprising. A major junction is to be closed for traffic entering, ie Southover Street won’t be accessible from Lewes Road, meaning more Traffic using Elm Grove and using side roads that INCREASES Traffic and pollution that also impacts LOCAL residents.
Perhaps if you did a little more research you might actually find out your comment ‘successful’ isn’t quite right for a number of reasons, also true of school road closures as many of these in London have been scrapped.
The gripes voiced by commenters are very valid. The current financial situation is a major concern, you bleat on about government cuts but have you considered our council can’t provide the legally required basic service’s paid for by our council tax yet can provide council tax money to provide these sheds, these are not a priority.
Wake up and smell the coffee, these are needed, but not now.
Cllr Hannah AllBrooke should check her facts as hangars were mentioned in the LCWIP as a separate project and there were additional considerations about where they would be installed rather than just based upon number of requests.
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/lcwip
It is amazing how the Greens continue to twist the truth to suit their own misguided agenda. How many more lies will we have to put up with before they finally get kicked out?
well Hendrik sounds like we’re in for a bumpy ride
The current administration and their partners in crime have created a situation where vocal minority extremism have vandalised the city with a disturbingly dictatorial approach to local government which has alienated residents and businesses throughout the city. Shameful and blind we are watching the rapid decline of the city.
Sooo glad we moved 😊
Regardless of how you feel about them, as I understand it, they are all at capacity, and almost immediately. Evidently, they are wanted and needed, or else this would not be the case.
They are also a solution to a very real problem of bike crime in Brighton, which is one of the highest in the country according to statistical data.
Do you know what is “unbeautiful” Councillor Nemeth? Remains of bikes that have had several parts stolen, now abandoned on the street, rusting away. And respectfully, if Councillor Nemeth had a better alternative, why is he not advocating that, instead of simply disingenuously, for lack of a better word, whining?
Unfortunately the hangars are not the total solution to bike crime.
They are located near people’s homes and not in town centres, where secure parking is required. I’ve been looking for an eBike for ages, but don’t fancy leaving it outside a shop for someone to cut through locks with a grinder.
Even the council says you need to double lock your bike to the hangar frames.
The situation with insurance is unclear as compared to storing your bike in your home, especially as when the cover is open all the bikes can be accessed.
If you have an eBike you need to have one with a removable battery to take home to charge.