A survey of bicycle parking in Dublin has shown that Aldi is the best of the large supermarkets with 52% of their stores rated as having ‘good’ bike parking which was notably ahead of Lidl (34%) and strikingly Dunnes Stores (13%), SuperValu (12%) and Tesco (8%).
The ‘shop by bike’ survey conducted online by Dublin Cycling Campaign shows that 35% of supermarkets had no cycle parking at all and only 25% of survey respondents rated the cycle parking as ‘good’.
The survey, conducted between May and June, had 300 respondents, one-third female and two-thirds male. It covered over 150 supermarkets in the Dublin area.
The Dublin Cycling Campaign said that the survey also found that 71% of people would cycle to the supermarket more often if better cycle parking was provided, and that the quality of bike parking available, the safety of cycle routes to and from shops, and the quantity of groceries being purchased were the top three considerations when deciding whether to shop by bike.
For retailers who want to attract more customers on bicycles, the campaign recommends to provide enough space for cargo bikes, locate bike parking close to shop entrances, and provide shelters to protect parked bikes from the rain.
Kevin Baker, chairperson of the Dublin Cycling Campaign, said: “As many of us are living our lives more locally we are using local supermarkets more often. There is a great opportunity for supermarkets to upgrade and enhance their customers’ shopping experience, or else risk losing them to competitors with better bike parking facilities.”
David Timoney, who devised the survey and is a campaigner in the Dublin Cycling Campaign who is focused on bicycle parking, said: “Dublin’s Interim Mobility Intervention Plan projects a 300% increase in people cycling in the short to medium term. The report acknowledges that there must be a commensurate increase in facilities to accommodate these figures. Supermarkets need to play their part by enhancing their bike parking.”
Louise Williams, vice chairperson of Dublin Cycling Campaign, said: “Shopping by bike is a simple way of reducing traffic on our roads but the bike parking facilities at supermarkets need to improve. This survey has now established a baseline and has highlighted areas for improvement”.
GRAPHICS: Provided by Dublin Cycling Campaign.
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