Brand ambassadors Anna Meares and Amy Cure Announced
BIKE TOWER PARTNERS WITH ANNA MEARES AND AMY CURE
Olympic gold medallist Anna Meares and World Record cyclist Amy Cure have been named the first ambassadors for Smart Stackers’ revolutionary Bike Towers.
Anna and Amy first saw this innovative solution when travelling Europe for separate events and are enthusiastic about facilitating the introduction of these structures into Australian cities.
With cycling predicted to surge in a post-COVID environment, councils in Melbourne and Sydney have been motivated to fast-track a range of cycling infrastructure projects across urban hubs, including enormous stretches of new kerbside bike lanes and elevated routes connecting suburbs to CBDs.
However, one vital piece of this picture that could be further developed is the essential need for adequate end-of-trip storage facilities, enabling cyclists to complete their journeys in a modern, safe, hygienic and streamlined way.
“Cycling is a great sport, but more importantly it is a recreational activity loved by Aussies of all ages.” says Anna Meares, the most highly decorated female track cyclist in history.
“Bike sales have always been high but since the pandemic, bike sales have sky-rocketed. We have the chance in 2021 to leverage this influx of interest and continue to encourage the use of bikes as a mode of transport by embracing a safe, accessible, hygienic, space-saving storage solution like Bike Towers.”
Developed in Prague, Bike Towers are a modern innovation that support active mobility and urban sustainability. They are a 24-hour storage solution, allowing bikes to be parked in a hygienic, safe and practical manner, providing an end-of-trip facility to create a holistic storage solution for cyclists.
“I think Smart Stackers Bike Towers could have a strong positive impact on the environment as they will encourage more commuters to cycle rather than drive in 2021, which would be a revolutionary change.” says Amy Cure, who is well-known as the first person in history to win medals at every endurance track event at World Championship level.
“It would be great to see a tower in every capital city so when I’m travelling Australia, I know I always have a safe place to store my bike.”
The key to our future cities
The towers also include space for cyclists to store helmets, bags and child seats, all in a safe and dry environment that fully protects against the elements and theft. They are solar-powered, well-lit, CCTV monitored, hygienic and potentially effective revenue sources for councils and government through the placement of advertising and/or a usage fee structure.
Compared to pre-COVID statistics, public transport use fell to 20 per cent during Melbourne’s lockdowns. Between November 2019 and April 2020, Melbourne saw a 270 per cent rise in bike path use.
Smart Stackers CEO Rod McQueen anticipates the increase in cyclists will create a growing storage problem, to which Bike Towers presents a simple solution.
“Bike Towers are able to store up to 118 bikes – including 16 spaces for children’s bikes to encourage family recreational travel – in the footprint of just four car parking spaces,” he says.
“We hope that through cities embracing this revolutionary end-of-trip facility, we can encourage more Australians to choose cycling as their main mode of transportation.”
Photo credit (R): Jurgen Smitt