Bicycle Network Victoria: Parkiteer bike cages

Epping station buzzing with bikes

22 February 2012 The forecourt at Epping station today was filled with commuters slurping smoothies and talking about bike parking at the station.

The hot topic of conversation was not only how good the berry smoothies tasted, but also the fantastic location of the 50th Parkiteer cage. Many people jumped on bikes and made their own drinks, while others preferred to have one pedalled for them by Bicycle Network Victoria staff.

The event engaged the community and was a great success.

The shared path between South Morang and Epping stations is due to open Monday 27 February, making it even easier to ride to the station.

 Your best parking spot is right here

9th February 2012   A new behaviour change campaign was launched today, aimed at getting more people on their bikes for the journey to Melbourne’s railway stations and bus interchanges.

The campaign includes the erection of banners on Parkiteer cages at Bayswater and Croydon stations, with two more to follow at Epping and East Malvern. The message reminds commuters that the best parking in term of convenience and proximity is the bike cage.

As with all of our behaviour change programs, we will carefully monitor the impact the campaign has on daily usage rates, and modify or expand it accordingly.

New registrations for the Parkiteer program in January, 2012 are up 20% on the same period last year, and we aim to expand this growth further. More than 3220 people are now registered Parkiteer users.
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Parkiteer hits a half century at Epping station

1 February 2012 Cage number 50 opens at Epping station in Melbourne's north.

The Epping cage is a new design for Parkiteer, built into the station building, boasting a fantastic position at the top of the platform entrance. The cage has provision for 31 bikes.

There are good access paths to the cage, and with limited car parking at the station, the cage is expected to fill quickly.

Register Now

New information signs rolled out to 25 cages

25th November 2011 New information signs have been installed at 20 metropolitan and 5 regional cages as part of Bicycle Network Victoria’s promotional campaign for Parkiteer.

The bigger, bolder signs are over a metre high, and are highly visible, even from a distance. The signs provide system details and a step-by-step guide on how to register.

Bicycle Network Victoria will lobby the Dept. of Transport for funds to fit the remaining 24 cages with these new signs in 2012.

Sun shines on Sunshine & Glenroy Parkiteer cages

17th & 24th November 2011 As the warm sun spread across the entrance to Sunshine and Glenroy station, morning commuters broke their focus on the footpath and glanced across at the Parkiteer bike cage.

The funky blues of Lucas Miller’s acoustic guitar attracted lots of attention, giving travellers a better start to their day than usual. Some commuters even stopped to listen to a song before continuing to work on the train.

The focus of the event was to attract attention to the Parkiteer cages and promote riding to the station, with the availability of secure bike parking. The flyer included a fitness theme.

 Peak hour jazz at Reservoir

16th November 2011 Commuters at Reservoir station enjoyed the cool sounds of jazz as they made their way to the stations entrance in the morning peak.

The brass duo successfully grabbed the attention of passers-by, with many commuters asking the  question: ‘This is fantastic, can they play here every day/’

The event aims to raise awareness and usage of the bike cage at the station, and will be followed up installation of a new information sign and new brochures outlining the health benefits of riding to the station.

Bikes are huge at Bentleigh Parkiteer

Commuters no longer need to wonder what that big blue cage is for at Bentleigh station on the Frankston line.

The oversized bike image is an attention grabber, and this combined with new information signs and brochures at the station, will surely convince train travellers that the best way to arrive at this station is by bike.

Laverton bike parking takes off

15 November 2011. The secure bike parking cage at the Laverton Railway Station is officially Victoria’s busiest and often overflows during weekdays.

Bicycle Network Victoria Parkiteer program manager Ian Clarke said more than 180 local residents had now registered to use the cage, which includes swipe-card access technology, including 14 in the last fortnight alone.

“When the Laverton cage first opened in mid-2010 there were only seven people using it each month, in other words next to nobody. Today we’ve got so many people using it each day that we’ve had to upgrade the door because it’s getting so much use!,” Mr Clarke said.

“What we’re seeing is the Point Cook and Laverton community using this facility in exactly the way it was intended – as a convenient, cost effective and enjoyable way to arrive at the station. The cages offer fast transfer to the train, bike security, and an enjoyable trip to the station with no parking hassles to contend with.

“If you live within 3km of the train station you could count on one hand the number of extra minutes it would take you to get to the station by bike compared to driving a car – the locals have worked that out and now the cage is full and we’ve often got bikes chained up all around it.”

Laverton is one of 50 Victorian railway and park-and-ride stations with a Parkiteer cage.

Laverton Railway Station has a 26-space Parkiteer cage on each side of line (giving 52 bike parking spaces) but the number of people wanting to use the cage often well exceeds capacity.

“The need to expand the Laverton bike cage on Railway Ave is apparent. The last thing we want is for people not to ride because they haven’t got somewhere secure to park their bike.”

Make a comment in the hobsons Bay Leader article 23 November 2011

Read more in the Hobsons Bay Weekly 24 November 2011

Works at Glen Waverley station 2012

Glen Waverley railway station is undergoing a huge redevelopment including a twelve storey apartment complex above the station forecourt.

As part of this work, there will be a new Parkiteer bike cage incorporated into the station building, above the ramp to the underground car park (yet to be built). The land where the current bike cage is situated will be used for this car park ramp.

If you have any questions with regarding this please contact us

Bike Parking at Prahran station

11 August 2011. New bike racks have been installed at Prahran Station in Melbourne's inner east.

Local member Clem Newton-Brown officially opened the new racks saying he hopes they would encourage more people to leave the car at home and use public transport. “Reducing the number of cars on the road will help reduce our impact on the environment as well as reducing traffic congestion for people who must use a car,” Mr Newton-Brown said.

Mr Newton-Brown said he often rode his bike to get short distances and the new bike racks would suit similar cyclists who prefer not to ride the entire journey but prefer the speed and convenience of a bike over walking.

Jason den Hollander of Bicycle Network Victoria welcomed the Parkiteer at Prahran station.

Westall cage opens!

21 July 2011The station upgrade at Westall is now complete and the Parkiteer cage is open and ready for business!

The cage is located on the south side of the station, with fast access to city train services.

You can access the cage by the bike path that runs along the south side of the tracks, between Oakes Ave and Westall Rd, or turn right as you enter the station.

To sign up for an access card, go to Register Now.

Brighton Beach cage is open again and looking fantastic!

18 July 201. 1The cage has undergone a dramatic face lift, with the removal of the rust, and a new coat of paint.

New stainless steel bike rails have been installed, supplied by Bicycle Network Victoria’s Bike Parking Experts, and riders are enjoying the fresh new look.
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New bike rails have been fitted to the refurbished cage in marine grade stainless steel. These bike racks will be able to withstand the harsh environment at Brighton Beach station.

Parkiteer reaches 2,000

24 February 2011. Bike riders across Victoria are embracing the park and ride concept with more than 2000 riders now signed up to the use Parkiteer secure bike cages at railway stations.

Record numbers of commuters are now using the free Parkiteer bike cages every day for safe and secure storage of their two-wheeled treasures.

Wyndhamvale resident Jordyn Hare was the 2000th person to sign up to use Parkiteer cage. He will be presented with a Parkiteer prize pack for being the 2,000th cage member.

Jordan first noticed the Werribee Parkiteer cage whilst commuting by train at Werribee station. He plans to use the cage four times a week, and will cycle 3-4km to reach Werribee station and secure his bike at the Parkiteer cage.

“The cage is an excellent idea, a great place to store my bike securely while I catch the train into the city. It’s free and it provides a great service to the bike riders,” Mr Hare said.

With 2000 users it is easy to see how much money the taxpayer is saving by not having to develop more car parking at Railway stations. Some recently provided car spaces at stations have cost $40,000 per space.

The Parkiteer cages were used over 17,000 times in the last four months despite the frequent wet weather.

The use of the Parkiteer cages across Victoria has grown steadily since they were introduced, with about 1,100 people using the bike cage facilities each week.

The first of the Parkiteer bike cages was opened in October 2008 at Eltham train station.

There are now 37 Parkiteer bike cages scattered across train stations in metropolitan Melbourne and 11 in regional Victoria.

The use of the secure Parkiteer bike cages is free. Interested bike riders need to register with Bicycle Network Victoria.

Alternatively you can visit the Bicycle Network Victoria office at Level 10 / 446 Collins Street, Melbourne or call 1300 546 526.

Interesting Parkiteer links

• 20/01/2009 - Maroondah Journal

• 20/01/2009 - Bayside Leader

• Geelong Cage - Image of the Geelong cage in heritage colours

• Metlink brochure - Bikes and Public Transport

• 31/08/2009 - Monash Journal

Labor locks in Parkiteer cages

10 November 2010. The ALP has pledged $800,000 to expand the Parkiteer secure bike cage systems to more Victorian railway stations.

The announcement is in the "Going Places: better transport for all Victorians" policy released today by Victorian Labor.

The new cages will join the 48 already in use in Melbourne and at country locations.

Gavin Jennings, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, identified Moreland Station as a location for one of the cages. “We want to make using our public transport system as convenient and user-friendly as possible,” Mr Jennings said.

“Each Parkiteer bike cage can store 26 bikes securely in the same space as three individual car parks. This means people can not only conveniently and safely store their bikes but also reduce their carbon footprint by not driving their car to the station.

“More people than ever are using our rail network and that’s why we are delivering an integrated approach, so we can cater to the different needs of people travelling to stations.”

The cages are encouraging commuters to ride their bike to the railway station, getting the health dividend from extra exercise, and helping solve the car parking congestion problems at railway stations.

Most rail commuters are within an easy bike ride of the local station and with the pass card protected security of the cages, they can lock their bike up safely when they take the train.

All Trails lead to Lilydale Station

25 August 2010. The Parkiteer cage at Lilydale station opened last week and local riders took advantage straight away with bikes parked in the cage from the first day.

With the continued works on the Lilydale - Warbuton Rail Trail we expect that more local riders will begin using the cage upon the completion of the bridge over the Maroondah Hwy and the redesign of the York Rd intersection.

Click here to sign up for cage access today.

New Cage at Marshall Station

17 August 2010. A new Parkiteer cage has opened at Marshall station, south of Geelong.

The cage at Marshall station will provide an alternative transport option for commuters as patronage at the station continues to grow since its reopening in 2004.

As the residential areas around Geelong continue to expand it's great to see that bike riders are being catered for.

Click here to see the cage locations.

Access All Cages Across Victoria

27 July 2010. The Department of Transport have approved the modification of Parkiteer cage access so cage members can access all cages. This means when you sign up you get access to over 40 cages across metropolitan and regional Victoria.Initially this will be trialled for 6 months (from today) with a view to being permanent if no issues arise. This is exciting news as the decision allows commuters greater flexibility as well as the potential to increase overall cage usage.

Fill a Cage in a Day - Werribee Station

29 July 2010. Thank you to all the Parkiteer members who rode to the Werribee Parkiteer cage yesterday. We managed to get 19 bikes in the cage which is a great result for the middle of Winter and will help us campaign for better riding facilities in the local area.

We'll be out and about again next month so stay tuned to find out if we're coming to your station.

27 July 2010. Following on from East Malvern last month, the Bicycle Network Victoria team plan to ‘Fill 1 cage in a Day’ from 6.30am this Wednesday (28 July) at Werribee Station.

Werribee Parkiteer members will get to enjoy a complimentary coffee from Team Degani and as a valued Parkiteer Member you’ll also receive a complimentary puncture repair kit! We encourage Parkiteer members across the network to ride to the station on Wednesday as Parkiteer usage numbers are used to highlight the importance of riding facilities in your local community, so help us help you and ride to the cage on Wednesday. Wednesday’s forecast looks perfect for a morning ride so help us fill all the cages!

Bicycle Repairman visits East Malvern Train Station

23 June 2010. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Bicycle Repairman!

Bicycle Network Victoria's newest superhero Bicycle Repairman, and his Super team visited East Malvern train station to spread the word about Parkiteer cages. Bicycle Repairman used his super powers to convince a number of car drivers to ditch their cars and start riding to the station.

There was free coffee, apples and special Ride On magazines for commuters as well as free bike checks and puncture kits for Parkiteer cage members.

Stay tuned to find out when Bicycle Repairman and the Super team will be in your area!

New Cages at Laverton and Coolaroo

18 June 2010. New Parkiteer cages were opened at Laverton and Coolaroo train stations this week.

The Laverton cage is set to be one of the busiest on the network with 35 people signing up before the cage had opened. Fortunately two cages were built at Laverton to cope with the expected demand.

The total number of cages on the network has now climbed to 46.

Please click here to register for a cage.

50,000th Usage of a Parkiteer Cage

8 June 2010. Jian Zhu was the lucky 50,000th user of a Parkiteer cage when he checked his bike into the Werribee cage on Sunday 30 May. To celebrate this milestone Jian was given a new Trek commuter bike.

Jian is pictured here being presented with the new bike by the Minister for Public Transport, Martin Pakula and Bicycle Network Victoria Chief Executive, Harry Barber at Caulfield Train station.

The event was a hit with the media with four television crews, two radio stations and the two major daily newspapers attending the event.

New Online Payment System

24 May 2010. Bicycle Network Victoria has introduced a secure online payment system in order to streamline the sign up process for new Parkiteer cage applicants.

The new process means that applicants can now pay their deposit 24 hours a day and can do so at the same time as registering for the system. This should mean an increase in registrations and an increase in cage usage.

Please click here to register for a cage using the secure online payment system.

Chelsea and Newport Promotion a Success

21 April 2010. Bicycle Network Victoria staff handed out Parkiteer flyers at Chelsea and Newport stations on Friday 16 April.

The trial is designed to create awareness of the cages as well as providing interested commuters with information about the cages.

So far the response has been great with a large number of commuters signing up to use the cages.

We'll be out again next month but at a different station and with a couple of surprises in store. There'll be more information in the next In the Loop member e-newsletter.

Ferntree Gully and Noble Park get Cages

7 April 2010. Two new Parkiteer bike cages opened at Ferntree Gully and Noble Park station last week.

The cage is great news for bike riders in the area and will lead to an increase in commuters riding their bikes to the station.

As you can see from the images below, on the day that Bicycle Network Victoria inspected the cage at Noble Park there were 20 bikes parked on either side of the station.

Please click here to register for a cage.

Busy Week for Minister Pakula and Parkiteer Cages

15 March 2010. It's been a busy week for the Minister for Public Transport Martin Pakula and the Parkiteer cage program.

On Friday 12 March the Minister attended the official opening of the Nunawading station Parkiteer cage (see below) and then on Monday 15 March the Minister was at Marshall train station, on the Bellarine peninsula, to announce a Parkiteer cage would be constructed there as part of a car park upgrade at the station.

The Marshall station Parkiteer cage will be the third in the area and usage should be high going on the popularity of the cages at Geelong and South Geelong.

Work is expected to be completed by the middle of this year.

Please see the state government website for the official Marshall station announcement.

Minister for Public Transport opens Nunawading Parkiteer cage

12 March 2010. Today, Minister for Public Transport Martin Pakula and Federal Member for Deakin, Mike Symon, opened the Parkiteer cage at Nunawading Station.

"This will encourage cycling as a practical transport option with riders able to safely secure their bikes and catch the train or bus to other destinations for work, school or leisure and it further improves public transport facilities in the eastern suburbs by providing an integrated intermodal transport hub, encompassing SmartBus and train services," Mr Pakula said.

Minister Pakula and Mike Symon were joined by Member for Mitcham Tony Robinson as well as members of the Whitehorse Cyclists.

Please click here to register for the cage.

Nunawading Parkiteer almost there

5 March 2010. The Nunawading Parkiteer cage is complete and will open as soon as works in the surrounding area have been completed.

As you can see from the images below the cage is all ready for business but as there is still construction going on in the access area bike riders will have to wait a bit longer.

The cage is expected to be open for use on Monday 15 March. 

New Station at Coolaroo to include a Parkiteer Cage

2 March 2010. The new train station currently being constructed at Coolaroo will include a Parkiteer cage. Bike riders in the North West of Melbourne will be well serviced as there are already Parkiteer cages at Glenroy, Broadmeadows and Roxburgh Park.

At this stage a completion date hasn't been advised but more information will be posted as soon as it comes to hand.

Please click here to register for the cage.

New year ravers use more cages

3 February 2010. The start of the year has resulted in a sudden flood of people switching to the bike for the journey to the local railway station, according to data collected by the Parkiteer bike cage system.

More than 100 people signed up to use Parkiteer cages in January which is a 25 per cent increase on the best month of 2009.

Why the sudden increase? Has there been a string of New Year resolutions, with commuters pledging to do that little bit of extra exercise during 2010? Or has the message landed that driving a car only a few kilometres to the station is a waste of money and scarce energy.

Four New Cages announced

In line with the growing demand, the number of Parkiteer bike cages at train stations has also increased. By the end of February there will be new cages at Ferntree Gully, Laverton, Noble Park and Nunawading train stations.

Laverton station will be only the second station (after Frankston) to have two cages installed. This is a great win for commuters in the area who have sent emails and letters to the Department of Transport requesting better bike parking facilities at the station.

To access the new cages when they open, please register your details. 

The cages are providing an active transport alternative for commuters travelling to train stations and bus terminals throughout Victoria.

Reduced $20 Bond Trial

29 January 2010. The $20 bond trial finished today at 5pm. We will be analysing the numbers to see if it made a difference to the number of people registering for a Parkiteer card.

20 January 2010. We have reduced the bond from $50 to $20 at some cages (for the rest of January) to see if the amount of the bond payment is an obstacle in people signing up to the Parkiteer cages.

Most of the cages we have chosen have another cage nearby that will still have a $50 bond. In this way we’ll be able to compare the rego numbers and hopefully see if the reduced bond has an effect.

The stations included in this trial are:

Bendigo
Broadmeadows
Cranbourne
Croydon
Doncaster
Kyneton
Morwell
Seaford

Second Cage for Frankston Station

19 November 2009. A second cage has opened at Frankston station due to an increase in the number of people riding their bikes to the station. It's great to see that 40% of all cage users are car drivers that have made the change to riding their bikes.

Cages Open in Doncaster and Moe

6 October 2009. The final two cages in Stage 2 of the Parkiteer program have opened at Moe train station and Doncaster Park and Ride bus terminal. The 16 cages added to the network in stage 2 make 39 cages in total.

Cages Open at Reservoir and Glen Waverley

1 October 2009. Two new cages have opened at Reservoir and Glen Waverley. There are still cages at Moe and Doncaster Park and Ride to open soon in Stage 2 of the Parkiteer cage program.

Twelve New Cages Open

23 September 2009. There are now twelve new Parkiteer bike parking cages open at train stations in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. These are East Malvern, Cranbourne, Sunshine, Oakleigh, Heidelberg, Chelsea, Seaford, Berwick, Morwell, Melton, Bacchus Marsh, and Kyneton.

New Cages Open at Chelsea and Oakleigh

1 September 2009. Two new cages have opened at Chelsea and Oakleigh station with another 14 to be opened in the next few weeks. There are 11 Metropolitan cages and 5 Regional cages. The new cages include the first Parkiteer cage at a bus terminal (Doncaster).

Parkiteers get in gear

26 February 2009. The 18 Metropolitan cages built by the State Government in late 2008 have now been open for business for two months. With people returning to work and school, registrations have been coming in a steady flow.

Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and Brighton Beach are showing the way as commuters clearly demonstrate that the provision of secure bike parking is not only getting more people riding more often but those who were previously driving to the station have now converted to bikes.

At Brighton Beach the introduction of the Parkiteer cage has seen 14 people previously driving to the station now riding. The balance of cage members were already riding or using other methods to get to the station.

This clearly shows the investment in the cages has more than paid off in health, congestion and parking benefits.

This scenario is not unique as other cages are demonstrating a consistent pattern with at least 50% of cage users ex-drivers; At Bayswater 70% of cage members are ex-drivers.

The typical catchment for the cages appears to be mainly within the 1-3km radius of a cage, with some stations getting riders from further afield as the attraction of a Zone 1 ticket or demand prevails.

The five regional cages came online this month with Castlemaine riders leading the way.

We are working with the Department of Transport to facilitate the rollout of the further 10 cages recently announced by Minister Kosky. We believe that priority should be given to areas of demonstrated demand.

Currently this is being measured by the waiting list for the Connex lockers at stations

Ten more Parkiteer cages announced, total of 33

11 Jan 2009. Ten more Parkiteer cages are being added to the Victorian transport system, Transport Minister, Lynne Kosky announced today.

The new cages join the 18 already built in metropolitan Melbourne and five in country Victoria.

Eltham is first cage completed

October 2008
The Bike Parking Cage at Eltham Station will be arriving soon. Click on 'Email me updates' above to be kept up to date.

The department has appointed Bicycle Network Victoria to manage the Eltham Cage. As part of this service we will be managing the registration process and providing user support.

You can apply to become an Eltham Parkiteer soon.

Eltham station is the first proud owner of one of these cages, which can accommodate 26 bikes securely and undercover for free.

Bicycle Network Victoria wants to make it easy for you to integrate with the public transport by bike. That’s why we are working with the Department of Transport to get 20 free, undercover bike parking cages on several stations across Victoria. We want to see more of these across the network in future.

As a cage member these cages will allow you to park your bike undercover, secure and for free at one of the participating stations.

At this point it hasn’t been finalised where all of the 20 cages will be located. In coming days we will provide a process for you to register your desire to get a cage installed at your preferred station. Click on 'Email me updates' above to be kept up to date.