Enfield cyclists slam six-fold price hike for using on-street bike hangers

The annual cost of using the Cyclehoop service is rising from £12 to £72 after Enfield Council cut its subsidy

A Cyclehoop bike hanger in Sketty Road, Enfield

Cyclists in Enfield have slammed a six-fold hike in the cost of using the borough’s on-street secure bike hangers.

The Cyclehoop bike hanger service allows cyclists to lock bikes securely and currently costs £12 for an annual subscription.

However, from May, the price is rising to £72 per year – with Cyclehoop blaming Enfield Council for decreasing the subsidy it provides.

In other boroughs that use the scheme, Cyclehoop typically charges around £30-£40 for the service, with Haringey and Camden both charging £36. However, there are other examples of boroughs – such as Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond-upon-Thames – where £72 is also now charged.

The service is often used by cyclists who live in flats or small houses and have little space in their properties to store their bike. One of these is Claire Freston, who told the Dispatch: “The price hike is so absurd – from £12 to £72 a year – really? If I had a car the parking permit is cheaper!

“Shame on Enfield Council. For all the cycle lanes and LTNs to encourage people like me to cycle, and then raise the price, I can’t afford it frankly.

“It won’t deter me from cycling but it will make keeping my bike in my house – in the hallway for all of us us trip over day and night – really annoying to be honest.”

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In an email sent to all Cyclehoop subscribers in Enfield this month, the company wrote: “We are writing to advise you that the annual cost of Cyclehoop Bikehanger subscriptions in Enfield is changing from 1st May.

“The London borough of Enfield currently subsidises all Bikehanger subscriptions for residents of the borough, however, as a result of a change in the subsidy provided to Cyclehoop from the local authority, your subscription will be increasing, and the new cost of an annual subscription will be £72 per year.”

Another Cyclehoop user in Enfield, George Andruszkiewicz, said: “This is unfair on people who cannot afford such increases, it penalises cyclists – especially those who live in flats, it is counterproductive to the borough’s green agenda and makes me wonder what other ‘initiatives’ are being prepared to increase fees for local services.”

Update (5.30pm):

An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “The council has installed cycle parking across the borough at train stations, in town centres, and over 100 cycle hangers on residential streets as one part of our efforts to encourage cycling in Enfield.

“The new fee covers the full cost of maintaining the hangers after a few years of council-subsidised rates while they were being introduced and were grant-funded. The new fees are benchmarked and are similar to other London boroughs.

“Ensuring the council’s costs of maintaining the cycle hangers are fully covered will ensure we can roll out even more much-loved cycle hangers across the borough, with another seven planned for installation over the coming months.”

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