Cycle parking at Cambridge train station has been a bone of contention amongst cyclists for many years. There are not enough spaces for the bikes available, a problem caused partly by the fact some bikes are left behind by their owners when they leave Cambridge, and never collected. Because the parking is cramped, it’s also easy for bikes to get damaged by others. Finding your bike at night if you get home late is an interesting challenge!

So it’s good news that the train operator Greater Anglia has got together with Cambridgeshire County Council to instal some new racks.

To get the best use from the space, they are double-decker, and the train company and council are looking for opinions of how easy they are to use. There are a number of different designs, and your views could inform future cycle provision at the station and further afield. To comment on the new rack, log on to www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/cycling.

I first visited on Wednesday evening. As my bike is too heavy to lift above shoulder height, I used one of the ground floor racks (Type 4) – easy to attach a D-lock to, and the bike stood up well. The higher racks were reasonably full too , so I guess they would be fine for those with longer arms and legs!

Today, there was a special event at the station – at the request of the Cambridge Cycling Campaign. I visited with Jean Swanson, and we bumped into Philip Tucker, a Lib Dem councillor in Castle Ward, who helpfully put my bike on one of the ‘upstairs’ racks.

Great to be able to park in a decent rack for once – a big improvement that’s been needed for a long time.

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