Thanks to the keen eye of reader and friend of the blog Trevor Bond, I now know that the long awaited cycle parking at Tesco in Brownhills has arrived and been installed. Trevor alerted me this afternoon on twitter, so on the way home I popped down for a look.
@BrownhillsBob Bike park being installed at Tesco!
— The Man withoutHekta (@br007kbond) September 5, 2012
You’ll remember that I and reader Lee Slater were a bit dismayed that after the Brownhills branch of Tesco got a refresh – AKA the great turd polish – there were was still nowhere for cyclists to lock their steeds.
What I found was like the Curate’s Egg – good in parts.
Not a bad stand, way better than a wheel bender, but how are you supposed to use it without the back of your bike overhanging the kerb? Amused to see it’s only held down with three bolts, too.
The actual location is great – right by the store entrance. But way too close to the kerb and why render one side of it useless by butting it up against that bollard?
It’s way better than what we had before – i.e. nothing at all – but there could have been a bit more consideration in the installation. It’s good that the rack is located close to the entrance and not tucked away in a corner, and it’s a heavy stand that’s easy to lock to securely. Shame it’s too close to the edge of the kerb, though, a little more care could have gone into the installation.
On the whole, it’s better than before, but bears all the hallmarks of an afterthought. Cheers to whoever pushed it through – it clearly wasn’t part of the original plan.
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Cyclists cannot carry enough shopping home from the store to make it worthwhile for Tesco to cater to them.
This is 21st century free-market capitalism in action, Bob.
personally speaking, given their role in creating and maintaining food poverty (see http://www.tescopoly.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=383&Itemid=190) I wouldn’t shit in their doorway, nevermind shop there.
Sorry, Gabriel, you’d be surprised.
Firstly, I can carry (easily) about 70lb of shopping on my bike, and know of many who do similar. You can easily do a weekly shop on a bike.
Secondly, Tesco consider it worthy enough in every other store of theirs I know (although they do put their racks in occasionally very odd positions, like at Walsall), but the provision at Tesco in Cradley, Lichfield and elsewhere is pretty good.
Thirdly, every other supermarket finds it worthwhile – Morrisons have pretty good racks, both in Aldridge and Burntwood. Waitrose is probably best, and they even do a free – get that, free – trailer hire service, whereby a member of staff will fit a tow hitch and you can load a trailer to take your shopping home, bringing in back within a day (or two, I think).
Tesco are arseholes, but let’s not pretend any other company are any better, just better at hiding it. I noted in all the furore over milk prices recently, the Co-op – supposedly right on and ethical – were in the lowest quartile of prices paid.
Best wishes
Bob
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