Woman calls bike hangar outside home 'ridiculous'

Veloris Ballingall wants the structure to be removed by the council

A bike hangar installed at a road junction has been described as "ridiculous" by a resident who fears it will cause accidents.

The more-than-2m (6.5ft) wide container has been set up on the corner of Tokar Street in Portsmouth.

There have been hundreds of requests for the storage units from cyclists across the city, a Portsmouth City Council spokesperson said.

But Veloris Ballingall, a retired nurse who has lived in the street for 40 years, said she thought its location was dangerous.

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The 75-year-old widow said she only received notice on the day it was being fitted.

She said: "It needs to be removed, it is ridiculous.

"Since I have lived here there have been more than five car crashes on the corner of the street.

"This will cause more accidents."

The cycle parking container on Tokar Street is in the road and covers an area which was previously used as a car parking space.

Ms Ballingall's grandson Owen took to social media to express his frustration with the bike shed, and said the council was "refusing to remove it".

He said: "My grandmother doesn't ride a bike, so she won't use it.

"It should be put somewhere where it is accessible properly and not on a junction.

"It's too bulky and a health and safety nightmare."

'No objections'

A council spokesperson said: "Bike hangars offer safe, secure, bike storage for Portsmouth residents who don't have that space in their home.

"We have had hundreds of requests from across the city and these dictate where we develop plans and consult with the local area.

"With Tokar Street we carried out our usual process to advertise the plans which received no objections.

"It has proven a popular location and like most hangars in the city we've received far more applications to use it than there are spaces."