Mapping Greener HealthcareMapping Greener Healthcare

The project was set up to eliminate the potential health and safety/fire hazard caused by staff residents keeping their bicycles in communal hallways, or in their bedrooms.  There are 24 bedrooms for onsite staff, in a low storey block.   Bicycles were found to be blocking fire exits and escape routes, and also making it more difficult to check sockets etc in rooms for electrical safety.  Storing bicycles inside also was leading to marks on the paintwork and increasing the rate of general wear and tear.

There are plenty of cycle racks on the WMUH site, but not near the accommodation, and also not secure or patrolled overnight.  As the hospital site is open to the public and used as a walking route, staff residents did not feel comfortable leaving their bicycles parked at the current provision.  There have been a number of recent thefts or damages made to bicycles in the area.

Therefore there was an idenitfied need for safe and secure bicycle parking.  Due to the nature of the site, this had to take up as little ground space as possible and blend in as much as possible to the environment.  The solution was the installation of 8 vertical Bikeaway lockers.

A deposit system has been set up.  The padlocks which come with the lockers are not that secure, so as part of the scheme's terms and conditions, users are required to buy their own padlock.  When they sign up for the use of a locker a £10 deposit is required.  The aim of this is to ensure that when they leave the accommodation , they let Terri know that they are vacating to recieve the money back.  This means that the management can secure the lockers with an original padlock to prevent vandalism, and advertise it to a new user.