An interesting blog from Carlton Reid in BikeBiz is asking bike shops their on store car parking. "A necessary evil? A vital business tool? Or surplus to requirements?"
The blog recounts his experience at a recent roundtable discussion in Birmingham, organised by the Surveyor magazine, with a of integrated transport experts.
Carlton Reid comments that "reducing road space for cars, and increasing it for pedestrians and cyclists, could create more cyclists (and more pedestrians) yet bike shops are not shouting for this from the rooftops. And I don't tend to hear about bike shops calling for a reduction in car parking spaces. I can imagine Rutland Cycling would not be in favour of reduced car parking but city centre bike shops don't seem to be in favour of it either. Most (correct me if I'm wrong) want to have ample parking outside their shops because it's believed customers, in the main, arrive by car."
He asks the question: "But how many bike shops have conducted travel surveys to find out how customers actually get to their stores? Customers who arrive by car are noticeable, cars are big. Customers who arrive on foot or by bike are less visually arresting. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on store car parking and how vital it is to your business. I'd also like to hear from you if you've, say, partnered with your local authority to get rid of a parking space and replaced it with a bike parking stand."
Will be fascinating to hear from Greater Manchester bike stores. You can leave your comments on the BikeBiz article or @ me on Twitter and add @bikebizonline to the conversation.
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