Revolutionizing Urban Cycling: Smartstreets-Cyclepark™

Transforming City Infrastructure into Secure Bike Parking

Urban areas, campuses, and shared spaces often face challenges with unauthorized bicycle parking and theft. Cyclists tend to lock their bikes as close as possible to their destination, resorting to sign posts, railings, or lamp posts in the absence of official bike parking facilities. The Smartstreets-Cyclepark™ addresses this issue by transforming these existing structures into secure bike parking for two bicycles, preventing bikes from collapsing into trip hazards.

The Smartstreets-Cyclepark™ is composed of two identical sub-assemblies that bolt securely around any size or shape of lamp column or sign post. Made from stainless steel tube, it is durable, corrosion-resistant, and can be color-matched to any RAL color. The design is fully refurbishable and recyclable, with other versions available for walls, railings, and bollards.

The design's realization involved traditional sheet metal fabrication techniques and tube bending, enabling rapid production of a wide variety of sizes and configurations without the need for expensive tooling. This is crucial due to the diverse range of post, column, bollard, and other street furniture sizes and shapes present in urban areas.

The Smartstreets-Cyclepark™ is intuitive to use, allowing cyclists to quickly understand that the equipment enables them to secure both wheels and the bike frame to the sign post. This prevents bicycles from being stolen by being lifted off the top and also prevents bicycles from blowing over or slipping down sign posts when knocked, creating trip hazards.

Smartstreets-Cycleparks™ are being deployed across the UK and are favored by Local Authorities who wish to increase bicycle parking facilities across the street scene quickly by transforming existing infrastructure rather than adding new obstacles on the street. The equipment does not require public consultations prior to installation and is simple and inexpensive to install as the pavement is not disturbed during installation.

The design was awarded Platinum in A' Street and City Furniture Design Award in 2014. The Platinum A' Design Award recognizes world-class, exceptional, and highly innovative designs that showcase unmatched professionalism, genius, and contribute to societal wellbeing. Awarded to the defining aesthetics of an era, they advance the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology, exhibiting transcendent excellence and making the world a better place.