(At the back: Kellet Lodge at the left, Department of Biochemistry at the right, ramp in between the two.)
Date published: 2008/02/17
The "new" Department of Biochemistry building in Cambridge opened in 1997 and is located up a set of stairs from Tennis Court Road. Originally these stairs just consisted of steps, with a ramp to one side. Did the architects or university bureaucrats ever forsee the unintended use that would be made of the steps and ramp?
There was some bicycle parking along Tennis Court Road, and some more underneath in the garage. There was also some parking behind the building, but this was removed in 2001 when the Gurdon Institute was starting to be built. At that time some "temporary" cycle parking was added next to Kellet Lodge. (The city wanted this removed in 2006 because they laughingly alleged that it wrecked the Grade II listed Kellet Lodge, but it has not been removed so presumably the city backed down.) And more cycle parking was added underneath by removing car parking spaces in 2004.
But the architects and university bureaucrats seem to have forgotten the first rule of cycling: "Don't park 50 foot from the front door if you can instead park 10 foot away". And cyclists not only parked right next to the building (a procedure which was formally recognised with a few parking stands) but also parked along the ramp leading up to the building. This only worked because there was a (stainless steel) handrail leading up the ramp, and the ramp was just wide enough that you could clamp your bike to the rail without causing too much obstruction (usually).
Meanwhile the skateboarders of Cambridge had discovered that you could have a bit of
fun by launching yourself off the stairs (in particular using the ramp to get going).
Somehow this deeply offended someone or other, and after various attempts to
discourage them, in 2007 the university added (no doubt at great expense) more
(stainless steel) handrails leading up the steps. Well, it didn't take long for
cyclists to discover that this provided yet more opportunity to park your bike,
as can be seen in the photo:
(At the back: Kellet Lodge at the left, Department of Biochemistry at the right,
ramp in between the two.)
The law of unintended consequences in action. You have to wonder how long it will take the Health and Safety control freaks to insist that it all be cleared.
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