Scheme of the Month - Guildford Station, Surrey
Partnership working at Guildford station between Surrey County Council and South West Trains has been recognised for its work in meeting increased levels of demand for cycle parking at the station.
In the last year, to accommodate the increasing numbers of people wishing to cycle to Guildford, six double-decker racks were installed at the east side of the station, and the first-ever covered cycle racks were installed at the west side. This means that cyclists approaching the station from the west no longer have to cycle round to the east side. All the facilities were paid for jointly by the County Council and the train operator.
Guildford station was highly commended in the category of “Station of the Year” at the ATOC National Cycle-Rail Awards in London in October 2007. The awards recognise work which encourages bike / train integration.
Surveys point to the growing popularity of parking cycles at stations where investment in improved facilities has been made. At Guildford station, 120 bikes were recorded as being parked in May 2005.This figure increased to 162 by May 2007 and 217 in September 2007, an increase of 81%.
The works at Guildford were part of a wider partnership across Surrey that involves the County Council and the various train operators in the county. This wider partnership was itself also Highly Commended at the Cycle-Rail Awards for its efforts to improve the scale and quality of cycle parking at many stations across the county.
For more information please contact Daniel Wright, Surrey CC’s Rail Development Officer at:
