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news
Broken bike racks blocked by plants at Tesco Stalham store, Norwich (image provided)Tesco tells cyclist who complained about broken and blocked bike racks outside shop that “working racks are never full” and “not considered high priority”
Tesco has been accused of doing “very little” to promote cycling and active travel, after one customer who complained about a bike rack that has been broken and blocked by plants for over a year was “not considered high priority” and that the four remaining spaces that are available to use “are never full”.
At Tesco’s branch in Stalham, Norfolk, images sent to road.cc show that the limited bike parking facilities located outside the store include one rack which has been broken and cracked for over a year, while another parking spot is blocked by a large plant rack, forcing customers who cycle to the shop to leave their bikes in front of the plants, and possibly unlocked.
The customer who took the photos, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that the store manager has “refused” to fix the cracked cycle rack, while correspondence with the supermarket giant’s customer services team prompted a similar response, as Tesco noted that the lack of suitable cycling parking facilities was not of immediate concern as a health and safety issue.
In an email discussion with Tesco’s customer service team at the end of June, the cyclist pointed out that he first reported the rack as broken in March 2023, but that it “appears the solution was to break it even further”.
“With 4.6 per cent extra custom and increased profits, I find it odd you can provide the store with a complete brand-new stock of trolleys yet do very little to promote active travel,” the cyclist said.
In response, a Tesco customer service specialist said that they “have spoken to the store manager in regards to the bike rack and he will look into this being repaired, but they are waiting on a response from a maintenance team to get back to them.”
“Shouldn’t the bike rack repair have been looked at in March 2023 when it was first reported and not repaired?” the cyclist replied.
Later that afternoon, the Tesco spokesperson said that they had spoken to the Stalham branch’s manager, who claimed that “there still are four working bike racks available and these are never full” – a response described by the cyclist as “odd considering I had already sent them photos of the rack full”.
“As I have said this has been reported and is not considered high priority as a Health and Safety issue,” the employee added.
Tesco has been contacted by road.cc for comment.
As we have reported on multiple occasions, the lack of suitable bike parking facilities at supermarkets has proved a persistent issue across the UK for the growing number of shoppers using bikes.
Earlier this week, we reported on the live blog that a Milton Keynes branch of Sainsbury’s recently refused a request from bike-riding shoppers to install more cycle parking facilities.
The call for more bike parking at the shop on Avebury Boulevard was initially launched six months ago by campaign group Cycling CitizensMK, who had a meeting with Sainsbury’s management before being told that more bike parking was not part of the store’s plans.
“It’s a great disappointment they’ve said no,” Hazel Dean, one of the campaigners, said this week. “All we asked for was support for shoppers who want to be more environmentally friendly and get healthier in the process.”
In April, Aldi apologised and promised to ensure cycle parking racks are free from supermarket stock in future after one customer found themselves unable to lock their bike due to a pile of compost grow bags outside their local Royston store.
Simon Colley took to social media to raise the issue with the bargain supermarket chain, asking them, “Why do you hate cyclists so much?”
The post came just hours after a trip to another branch had seen him unable to use the bicycle parking racks there too, that time due to the area being used to store shopping trollies.
Meanwhile, Lidl recently came in for criticism when the cycle racks at one of its London stores were filled with plants and compost for sale.
And last summer, customers at a newly opened Aldi store in Leamington Spa joked that the cycle racks “are definitely middle aisle bike stands” after discovering that they could be quite easily pulled out of the ground.
Having been left red-faced by the ordeal, Aldi quickly rectified the issue and confirmed the works to fix the stands to the ground had been completed shortly after concerns were raised.
Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
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35 comments
Decent, secure, visible bike parking just doesn't really exist.
So, I just take my bike in with me. No one has ever dared to question, despite some evil looks.
If I was challenged, I would ask what difference do my bike wheels make to those present on a trolley, pram or wheelchair? The first case is issued by the store, the second is somewhat discriminatory (though being a minor isn't a protected characteristic, oddly). The last user
certainly does enjoys legal rights!
In short, if you want me to leave £2k of bike outside, ensure I can make good use of the £150 of security I carry around with me.
Ie, appropriate, covered and secure stands, that are accessible, within eyeline of the door and have at least as much security oversight as the car park does.
Couple of points. Firstly, you quite likely get evil looks because, if it's anything like the shop I work in, customers and staff will have seen bikes left inside full over. This tends not to happen with prams and wheelchairs.
Secondly, the same people whom don't challenge you probably won't challenge anyone else who decides to walk out with the £2k bike, including the £150 of securit.y
This is but one example of the deep-rooted UK toxicity towards cycling at every level.
No point talking to store manager, utterly clueless. All these £billion companies publish CSR/ESG reports to greenwash the shareholders and ensure the bull5h1t train is fully loaded and on time.
So, rip into their CSR/ESG reporting on public forums. Don't hold back. Use their words against them, identify their CSO and copy them in.
My local Sainsbury's at Coldhsm's Lane, Cambridge is typical on this front, with token cycle parking but at least it's there.
Their recycling area wasn't though, with overflowing battery waste rolling into the nearby chalk filtered stream.
I spoke to the manager about this a few years ago, and he was typically dismissive. Maybe it was because I had arrived by bicycle and not Range Rover. He really couldn't have cared less.
So I told him that as a Circular Economy Consultant I knew the legislation around eWaste and proceeded to take photos to send to the county environmental health officer. I also said I'd be checking this site each week to take dated photos and forward them to both Sainsbury's CSO and environmental health officer.
It was cleared up.
Just don't bother with a kind comment to these businesses, they don't care. Just wreck their fake green PR. They do care about this, if not your bicycle security.
Thank you for doing that. Appreciate your efforts.
First thing I'd do if investigating this further would be to look at the planning approval and any conditions for the store. Active travel always needs to be addressed. Unfortunately it's often just done in token fashion.
This Stalham store was opened in 2002, possibly prior to then needing a sustainable plan to get permission to build/open the site. But it might be still have been an obligation on them to provide facilities, if they've promised them. Either way try the Local Authority route saying you have an issue and are hindered by their approach, it's worth a go.. I've used this approach on a newer built local store because the bike racks had been put "around the back" and were a bike thieves dream, they were moved to outside the entrance within a fortnight.
I usually avoid big supermarkets if not on my hybrid bike; however out bikepacking last weekend on an evening I just brought my bike completely inside the store and left it in the newspaper area whilst I went and bought a few essentials. Best way in chain supermarkets and local shops; they have 1000s of employees they won't care.
Our local Tescos has no bike racks so I lock my bike to one of their trolley shelters - you can be sure that any damage to that would be fixed immediately
, "You are correct sir/madam, you won't see the bike rack full since the the rack is defective and/or broken."
My local Booths has decent Sheffield stands. They do tend to be used for trolley storage and to tether dogs to though.
Aldi, Lidl and other supermarkets in Germany have substantial structures for bike parking normally sited close to the store entry/exit doors and often include free e-bike charging points. Not that difficult really.
Picture of the store from t'internet: I'd just lock up to the big hoops defining the trolley park, far better than the bike rack provided, cracked, blocked or not. That's what I do at my local Sainsbury's if the bike parking is full, nobody ever complains.
I'd be worried about my bike getting damaged by someone ramming a trolley in there.
Then your handle bars will be half inside the trolley bay and get clatted by the trolleys. Moreover I doubt those shoving the trolleys would care much - not their trolley, not their bike.
There's a strategy to it, I lock up at the far end, i.e. on the right of the line in this picture, so that hopefully I'll return before the stock of trolleys starts being replenished, and lean the bike over slightly so the crossbar is nearest the horizontal bar, no part of the bike inside the trolley park area. Never been damaged there yet...
I do the same at Aldi & Lidl stores on the occasions I shop there - lock the bike to the end where it won't be disturbed by moving trolleys.
The 2 (new) Aldi stores in Shrewsbury didn't appear to have any bike parking. The Aldi in Bangor opened in 2022 and only has 2 Sheffield-type stands on an island half way across the car park while the Lidl has those dreadful wheel-benders butterfly things. My local Co-Op has ram-raid protection near the front door that are great for securing a bike.
I'm afraid I agree.
A poorly targeted protest.
"I find it odd you can provide the store with a complete brand-new stock of trolleys yet do very little to promote active travel”
As frustrating as it may be and as supportive as I am of active travel, I don't find this at all odd - what is their incentive to promote active travel?
While it may not be high on their agenda a retailer who was making decent provision to encourage cyclists to use their premises would be huge. If I knew that a local store had safe, robust parking then I would be more likely to shop there. Where I last lived Sainsbury's had great parking for about twenty bikes that was covered. Meanwhile Morrison's up the road had three Sheffield Stands with no cover and Tescos had zero. There would be even greater incentive to use a store if they had facilities for cargo bikes or trikes.
I just think that in a lot of places (that there London excepted maybe) it's still a relatively niche customer base which isn't necessarily going to result in massive increase in custom - those cyclists are probably already coming (whether by bike or car). So you need an interested and enlightened store / regional manager to do it because they believe in it, not necessarily because it's going to increase custom. Might be different where you have a choice of different supermarkets in close proximity in which case it's defo a differentiator.
Back in the early 2000s TESCO stores started refusing to serve motorcyclists at fuel pumps unless they removed their helmet.
Obviously a policy created by someone who is clueless about motorcycling. Many have neck scarves tucked in, comms connected, wearing glasses...it's a real faff to remove especially when raining. But I get it for holding up a cashiers - but this is very rare
So, we use flip lids.
TESCO still refused to serve bikers with flip lids, even though they can only fill a fraction of fuel compared to a car driver to drive off without paying
We were so pi55ed off MCN ran an article about it and gathered data via poll. We all boycotted TESCO for years. As we were spending about £150/week on food (back then!) on average, and there were at least 5,000 motorcyclists responding to this, that was £150 x 52 x 5000.
We removed about £35million from TESCO business in that year.
To this day I avoid TESCO when I can because of this attitude.
I also avoid Sainsbury's because of their aggressive bag checking and till gate system. My food habits have really changed to avoid the corporate greed and arrogance of these businesses.
Back in the early 2000s TESCO stores started refusing to serve motorcyclists at fuel pumps unless they removed their helmet
That's nothing! Also in the early 2000s, the shop/ post office in Whalley, Lancashire refused to serve me because I was wearing a cycling helmet (just an ordinary one- doesn't obcure anything but my thinning hair cover). I've never been in there since.
They fall over themselves to get people in their stores in other ways. They build massive car parks, have hundreds of trolleys, nowadays they stock masses of non-food items and the whole store 'experience' is designed to get you to buy as much crap as possible.
One problem with us cyclists is - cargo bikes notwithstanding - that we have limited luggage capacity. That means the shops can't extract as much £££ because we can't carry it therefore there's no benefit in doing anything for cyclists. And it's very likely that none of the planners or decision-makers do their shopping by bike.
Supermarkets, like many businesses, know that the vast majority of their customers believe that 'saving the planet' involves little more than putting more items in the kerbside recycling bin instead of the normal bin and perhaps remembering to take a few re-usable shopping bags when they drive to the shop.
Supermarkets, like many businesses, know that the vast majority of their customers believe that 'saving the planet' involves little more than putting more items in the kerbside recycling bin instead of the normal bin and perhaps remembering to take a few re-usable shopping bags when they drive to the shop
Very true, but the point about shopping bags reminds me of how instantaneous was the response to shops having to charge for plastic carrier bags in England- everybody brings their own bags now. I recall that this very sudden and otherwise admirable change resulted in a plastic bag factory in Accrington having to close down. England was very backward on this- Wales and, I think, Scotland were way ahead. There really are many fewer plastic bags blowing around these days- all as a result of a trivial charge.
Shopping bags demonstrate how effective a small disincentive can be in shaping people's behaviour. I think it'd be great to move to per mile charging for VED and possibly include electric vehicles too, but at a lower rate. Currently, people think that small journeys are already "paid" for as they'll still be paying the same insurance and tax for the year whether they use their car a lot or a little. Once people realise that they'll rack up a small charge by driving half a mile to the shops, they might choose to walk instead when the weather's nice.
I agree completely. I'd like to see the cost of journeys increase and the revenue ploughed into better public transport.
The success of the carrier bag charge should be cited in the push for a deposit return scheme for bottles and cans, which has already been shown to work very well in other countries and is long overdue.
I would also like to see a levy on drive-thru purchases, since their customers a large proportion of roadside litter as well as encouraging people to make unnecessary journeys (and that's before we discuss the impact of drive-thru/takeway food on health).
None of these things will really address our impact on the natural environment or climate change but they are relatively easy to implement and would be part of a general shift in behaviour.
I remember when fizzy drinks came in glass bottles with something like 5p being paid extra as a deposit that you get back when returning the empty bottle. It was a great scheme for kids to go around asking lazy adults for their empty bottles and then getting a bit of extra pocket money.
All true. BUT Looking more broadly though it's a case of "you get what you design for" and following trends. Where there are cars the "mall"/ out of town supermarkets can get established and self-catalyse, including decline of local shops, "have to drive", "can't get those locally", the desire and "need" for a "big shop" etc.
Certainly happened in the UK:
https://news.cbre.co.uk/uk-shoppers-spend-more-but-make-less-trips/
It's then hard to "go back" and things like "cost of living"* may continue to drive this.
However there are other models (even ignoring the massive growth in delivery) - some currently in use in " advanced counties":
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kYHTzqHIngk
Plus with a supermarket 2 miles away I find shopping with a normal bike "works for me". Yes, I do go more than once a week (but not daily). And I can use a direct, motor-traffic free path (until Edinburgh Council pinches it for trams anyway). In fact that part makes a big difference!
This doesn't suggest an easy path from "here to there" of course. There may not be a quick fix.
* Not belittling people's financial struggles but no-one seems to discuss how much it *should* cost ... just it's "too much". Presumably because recent changes have meant many things cost relatively more, but AFAIKS we generally continue in the direction of more disposable income. Albeit as a nation we've taken on ever more debt.
It will be greenwash in their CSR/ESG reporting. They say they are helping people make greener choices but only if it means their profit margins are even greater.
There is no "crack" - it's designed like that. It is a piece of galvanised pipe bent into an oval, with the two ends just left facing each other. The near one in the photo looks like one end has been stepped on so it is bent out of alignment, which tells you how thin the metal must be.
To he honest, the person complaining has exhausted their efforts tilting at the wrong target. The problem with these racks is not the supposed crack. It is that they are 100% shit, useless. There is no way to securely lock your parked bike, and you risk getting your wheel bent.
You're going to be perceived as nothing but a nuisance if, having bent their ear to fix the unfixable you later go on to point out that they now need ripping out and replacing with Sheffield stands (why is this so difficult for architects to understand in the first place - Sheffield stands).
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