Boost for cycling in Hartlepool

They are located in Villiers Street next to Hartlepool Borough Council’s Community Hub Central and are available daily on a first come-first served basis.

Road Safety and Sustainable Travel Officer Justin Goult beside the new lockers

The lockers have been funded by the Council-led Hartlepool Active Travel Hub which aims to encourage people to travel more sustainably by promoting alternatives to the car.

Similar lockers have previously been installed outside the town’s Mill House Leisure Centre.

Justin Goult, the Council’s Road Safety and Sustainable Travel Officer, said: “If we are going to succeed in getting more people out of their cars and onto bikes then we need to ensure they can do so safely and with confidence.

“Having somewhere secure to leave your bike when visiting the town centre helps to ensure that is the case.”

Cyclists are asked to only store bikes on a daily basis and not to leave them any longer, so that the benefits the lockers offer can be enjoyed by as many cyclists as possible. They need to provide their own padlocks to secure the lockers, and they should note that the hole for a padlock is 16mm.

Bikes are also left in the lockers at owners’ own risk, and the Council will not accept responsibility for any accidents, damage or loss incurred.

The lockers are part of an on-going drive to promote cycling and their installation comes hard on the heels of the opening of the new Hartlepool Walking and Cycling Hub in Church Street which is run by Sustrans and funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority.