Cycling in K.Lynn: Parking
There's quite a lot of cycle parking in King's Lynn town centre, but not all of it is easy to find or safe. I cycle in the town centre a lot and there's so many cycle parks that I sometimes forget some of them, so I made a list:
| Location | Status | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail Station, outside south-west | Official | 8? hoops | Signed from cycleway |
| Rail Station, inside south | Unknown, good? | 20? racks | Covered by CCTV |
| St James Car Park, Clough Lane | Official, stupid | 6 hoops | Inside. Beware expensive lockers. Signed access from Blackfriars Street is a tight Z-bend - I use the disabled car entrance instead |
| New Conduit Street, at Baxter's Plain | Official, stupid? | 12? hoops | Cycling prohibited here |
| Tower Street, at Majestic Cinema | Official, stupid | 4? hoops | Cycling prohibited at south end of Tower Street (but motor vehicles allowed sometimes) and Tower Street is one-way (but unmarked here, so remember when leaving), so access from Sedgeford Lane only? What a mess! |
| Bus Station, by Albion Street Taxi Rank | Official, good | 10? hoops | Access over drop kerb from bus station, exit over drop kerb to Albion Street |
| Bus Station, by Sainsbury's | Official, stupid | 10? hoops | Covered but new high kerb obstructs access |
| St Dominic's Square, by Sainsbury's | Official, stupid | 6? hoops | Cycling prohibited here |
| Broad Street, at Norfolk Street | Official, stupid | 2 hoops | Inside a one-way street that dead-ends into a pedestrian zone with one hoop of 3 sawn off! Signs (and probably road rules) in a mess. |
| Tuesday Market Place, opp Globe Hotel | Official | 6 hoops | By pubs, often with broken glass |
| Tuesday Market Place, opp Corn Exch | Official, good | 3 hurdles | Recent addition |
| Surrey Street, by HSBC | Unofficial | 2 street name signs | Beyond a "cyclists dismount" but not in the pedestrian zone |
| Chapel Street, in Surrey Yard | Official, good | 3 hoops | Needs attention |
| Chapel Street, at King's Court | Official, good | 3 hoops | Off-road, under overhang outside BCKLWN offices |
| Austin Street, at Juniper House | Official | 3 hurdles | Alongside path |
| King Street, opp Custom House | Official | 6? hoops | - |
| Purfleet Street, opp Amusements | Official, stupid | 5? hoops | Beyond a "cyclists dismount" but not in the pedestrian zone |
| Purfleet Street, opp Lynn News | Official, stupid | 6? hoops | Covered, beyond a "cyclists dismount" but not in the pedestrian zone |
| Baker Lane, off Queen Street | Official | 6? hoops | Covered, in a car park, avoid the one-way system and cobbles with footpath exits northbound over Purfleet or eastbound across High Street to Sedgeford Lane |
| County Court, off Queen Street | Official | 3 rings | Hard to spot, beside the door in a cobbled street, but handy for town hall meetings |
| Saturday Market Place, St Margaret's Church | Unofficial | Railings | Overspill from County Court? |
| South Quay, at Green Quay | Official | 3? hoops | - |
| Library, Millfleet | Unofficial | Railings | - |
Current total: 19 official public racks, of which 4 are good (mostly council-maintained racks in the north) and 8 are stupid (mostly owner-maintained in the shopping centre).
Most Irritating Problems
- Very little, well-hidden official parking by the Saturday Market Place;
- No decent cycle parking in Vancouver Court (straight on over bridge past Sainsbury's multi-storey);
- Missing Links - Cycle routes between the Bus Station and Chapel Street, and Post Office and Custom House are very indirect and/or use busy roads;
- Too many of the shopping centre racks are stupid and encourage dangerous cycling.
Warning
All this is just my guess. If I've missed one or made a mistake, please email me.
31 Mar 2006, MJR