This policy brings together various elements relating to bicycles, with the aim of improving the support offered to residents who use bicycles for transport and leisure activities, and need accessible and secure places to store them. The term ‘residents’ is used to reflect the fact that children, too, have bicycles. This policy will be administered and developed by the Bicycles / Bikes Working Group. It is founded upon and informed by a prior consultation conducted with ASH Coop members via a survey (see 5. Excursus below). There was clear consensus that members want the group to have the power to dispose of abandoned bikes; support the provision of safe and secure storage property by property as well as communally; and help ASH Coop become more self-sufficient in the matter of bike maintenance and repair.

1. Abandoned Bicycles

There appear to be many unused/abandoned bikes scattered around the grounds, including in existing bike shelters, adding to difficulties for storage of bikes in use, and for the use and maintenance of grounds. As a solution, ASH Coop will:

a. Periodically conduct a survey of bicycles left unused around the premises (including in any dedicated bike parking facilities), giving residents a month in which to identify bikes belonging to them that they want to keep. b. After this consultation period, abandoned bikes will be removed and either renovated for further use or donated to charity. c. Where possible, maintain a small number of formerly abandoned and renovated bicycles for general community use.

2. Bicycle Parking

Current provision for bicycle parking does not meet residents’ needs. As a result, bicycles are often kept in inconvenient places, such as inside shared houses or blocking access on Coop paths. There have increasingly been bicycle thefts from Coop property. To improve this situation, ASH Coop will:

A. Over time, provide one secure bicycle parking space per resident – regardless of age – in the form of secure shelters for each house and/or communal shelters. Each resident will have one allocated, numbered place that can only be used for bicycle parking, transferable to the next resident in their property should they leave ASH Coop. B. In consultation with residents, review, renovate, and update the existing shelters at either end of the property to make them more secure and accessible. C. Consult and work with each residence requesting a shelter – on a first-come-first-served basis – to provide bike shelters of their chosen design and location adjacent to their property when practically and financially possible. Oversized/unusual machines will be approached on a case-by-case basis.

D. Residents who wish to own more than one bicycle will make their own arrangements for storage of additional machines with the support of the Bicycles Working Group.

3. Cycle Maintenance & Repair

Bicycles are an accessible form of transport that can be simply maintained by anyone with access to appropriate tools, premises, and skills. However, those can be difficult to use in already-crowded homes. Therefore, ASH Coop will:

A. Develop provision for bicycle maintenance and repair through the purchase of communal specialist tools. B. Consider the provision of a dedicated bicycle workshop. C. Consult and collaborate with other relevant groups to initiate in-house and/or external training provision on bike repair and maintenance. 4. Disclaimer: Legal Liability While ASH Coop will work with residents to ensure a secure bicycle space for each, it is not liable for compensation should a bicycle subsequently be stolen or damaged on site.

5. Excursus: ASH Coop Bicycles Survey, 2023

There were 22 responses.

Question 1 Every Coop member regardless of age should be entitled to one safe and secure bicycle storage space. How much do you agree with that principle? 1=disagree, 10=fully agree Result: 16 x #10, 5 x #8, 1 x #7 Question 2 Do you own a bicycle? Result: 20 x yes, 2 x no Question 3 How would you like the Bicycles Working Group to proceed with improving bike storage? [Options: Keep it as is but clear and improve existing provision. Work with each house to organise and install appropriate provision. A combination of the above.]

Mike (6 Swanns), Rachel (22 Arg), Malcolm (3 Swanns), Bicycle Working Group Coordinators

Result: 15 x combination. 5 x work with each house.

Additional comments:

• Member bike registration and issuing of stickers or tags. If it's not registered within X amount of time then it gets removed and donated.
• It would be nice to have a locked area which is practical for storing bikes i.e. better bars to lock to, more spacing. We might need to add some more rails in spaces we have around the site but I'd like to avoid using the gardens adjacent to houses to store them. Also bear in mind the space we need for access along the front of Swann’s Terrace. Question 4 Any other comments
• Thank you for doing this.
• Some houses may have space for additional bike storage and would like metal anchors installed for this.
• Provide maintenance equipment such as a bike stand and tool box?
• It is essential to improve the existing ones by securing and adjusting the handlebars and considering closing with high fence panels (wood will be aesthetically sustainable) with code. It also would be an affordable solution. Thanks.
• The bike rack next to 2 Argyle is open fronted and has been subject to thefts. Removing the fence by the potting shed and putting one up on the car park side would increase security.
• Give cycle group members the power to get rid of abandoned bikes.
• Currently, multiple houses have inadequate bike places available in relation to occupants (e.g. 4 bike spaces in front of the house with 6 bikes needing to find a place). A secure bike shed within the Coop grounds (and not outside it as currently the situation is) would already help a lot. I also had my bike stolen in the last year and now place my bike near the garden shed. Not ideal I appreciate that but I don't have another option right now and can't afford to have another bike stolen.
• I've also wondered about having cameras pointing to any bike storage we have to deter theft. They could even be dummies. I just want to say thank you for putting this questionnaire together and making moves to improve the current bike storage situation. Heroes!
• No idea, just very glad that there is a working group!
• We could certainly improve communal storage. However I find there are cheap solutions for each house that could reduce the burden, e.g. bicycle wall mounts in corridors or next to front door cupboards.
• (More zen and) the art of bicycle maintenance (workshops).
• Safe and secure storage is very much needed. And especially limited and managed storage so everyone has their space is vital.
• The group should have the power to remove abandoned/disused bikes.