City to get bike storage pods to tackle theft

Storage pods similar to this would be available 24 hours a day, Leeds City Council said

Cycle storage pods are to be installed in Leeds city centre after more than 1,300 bikes were stolen in three years.

The council said the hangars, with secure locking systems, would be fitted at ten locations including Kirkgate Market, the bus station and art gallery as part of a £130,000 trial scheme.

The hangars would be available 24 hours a day and be able to store a total of 56 bikes at a time.

The authority said thefts and a lack of storage were a deterrent to cycling into the city and e-bikes were frequently being stolen.

A council report said over the past three years 1,326 bikes had been stolen in the city centre, "averaging more than one a day".

The report added that a University of Leeds study found 63% of e-bike owners in Leeds were also worried about bike theft, more than the English average of 59%, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It said: "Therefore, it is highly likely that the lack of secure cycle parking in the city centre is reducing the levels of cycling to the centre of Leeds."

The storage would use Bluetooth and phone app-controlled locking systems and cyclists would be charged a small fee, the report said.

A cycle storage facility set to open at Leeds Station next year was not expected to satisfy demand.

The report said should the trial succeed, then there would be scope to expand the network of hangars.

Funding for the project would come from Leeds City Region and contributions from developers given planning permission to build in the city.

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