cycle Center News

[beauyboy]

taken form city news at www.questnews.com.au

Big dreamers deliver cycle centre
BRISBANE, May 15: Two former city workmates will see a seven-year dream realised later this month with the opening of Australia’s first CBD cycle centre beneath King George Square.
The $6.4million cycle2city facility will provide 420 secure bicycle parking spaces and lockers, air conditioned male and female change rooms, showers, valet laundry/drycleaning services, and bike repairs for its members.
Andrew Onley and John Hack came up with the idea for a fully serviced cycle centre in 1992 when they encountered problems riding to work in the city.
``I got into all sorts of trouble with my boss for bringing my bike into the carpark and was told on more than one occasion `the office is not a motel’ because I had all my gear with me,’’ Mr Onley said.
``In those days companies were paying lip service to being green but discouraging people like myself from riding to work.’’
After a stint overseas, Mr Onley and Mr Hack began their campaign to make the cycle centre a reality in 2000.
“We approached Brisbane City Council with the concept and they’ve been very supportive,” Mr Hack said.
“The project has been jointly funded by the City Council and the State Government and after it went out to tender, we were awarded the contract.’’
Mr Onley said a six-month memberships cost about $5 per day, which is less than a two-zone return bus fare.
Visit www.cycle2city.com.au

[Boognoss]

That looks fabulous! Could really do with facilities like that in Sydney and the various smaller hubs (Nth Syd, Chatswood, Parramatta, etc).

[tallywhacker]

ha, like how everything from the east is "Australia's first". Six years ago when I used to ride into the Perth CBD there was a bike shop (before it became Fleet) that did this. It always struggled because a lot of the office buildings have bike storage areas and gyms with showers

[vovo]

i saw this and thought it was quite expensive, good idea but will cost $650 for that 6month membership

[MountGower]

As far as being Australia's first - I doubt old mate in Perth had 42 spaces, let alone 420.

The problem is the apualing lack of routes in to the CBD. I'd like to see the council make a public suggestion on how anyone is actually supposed to get to the CBD on a bike.

I'm not talking about Toowong or Coorparoo. Anyone a few Ks out can get there.

[beauyboy]

New bikelanes have been put in the cbd to service the center but you are right we need more cycling routes in.

Donald

[beauyboy]

Here's an artical of the Couriermail winging about something that has been public knowledge since the project was first surgested

www.couriermail.com.au
Bicycle riders to pay $5 a day for changing facilities
John McCarthy
May 26, 2008 12:00am
CYCLISTS will have to pay $5 a day plus a joining fee to use a $6 million bike shower and change centre in Brisbane.

The Cycle2Work facility in the King George Square bus station in Brisbane's CBD will also only be open from 6am to 8pm on weekdays.

Taxpayers handed over $6.4 million for the facility, a joint Brisbane City Council and State Government venture, which is due to open on June 2.

Premier Anna Bligh staged a walk-through at the centre with media in tow last week but failed to mention the daily charges, equivalent to a two-zone bus fare.

Keen cyclists Andrew Onley and John Hack, who run the operation, said they were unfazed by the cost which they said diverted 420 people from either driving or overcrowded public transport.

There were also health benefits for users which would offset the price taxpayers shelled out for its construction.

"That's $6 million well spent," Mr Onley said.

He said the construction costs were also a component of the Inner Northern Busway and, compared with driving and parking in the city, were significantly cheaper.

Initially the centre will not open weekends or public holidays but there was already strong demand from the public and council staff.

The facility can cater for 420 cyclists who can shower, change and park their bikes securely.

Mr Onley said between 3000 and 5000 people rode to work each day in the city.

He said it could be assumed those people already had change facilities at work, so the business would be luring people who had always wanted to ride but could not do so because of a lack of public showers.

Premier Anna Bligh last week announced a similar $2 million project for state public servants. The government would also try to attract private sector partners to own and operate a public facility, possibly in the Creek St precinct.

Brisbane City Council has thrown its weight behind the scheme and has boosted cycling even more with an increase to bike path funding and plans for a CBD bike rental scheme.

Mr Onley said about 2500 cyclists crossed the Goodwill Bridge into the city each morning and his business would be catering to a fraction of the commuting public.

Even so, he and Mr Hack were confident of even more growth and did not think the King George Square facility or "Bligh's bike shed" for public servants would be the last of their kind.