Bikes, scooters and pushchairs: the common-area traffic jam

The entrance hall of 2026 has a problem that the one of 1990 did not: it is full of wheels.

The framework

Common areas are not storage: the entrance and landings must be kept clear (and evacuation rules require it — a corridor full of pushchairs and bikes is a real risk in an emergency, not fussiness). But the demand to park bikes, scooters and pushchairs is legitimate and growing: banning without an alternative only hides the problem.

The space solutions (cheapest first)

1. Reorganise what you already have: the dead corner of the entrance or the garage with wall brackets for bikes (€30–60 per space) turns chaos into order.
2. The bike room: reclaim an underused common room (the old, now-redundant meter cupboard, the storage room nobody owns) with anchors and a lock. A resolution at a meeting and a rule of use.
3. In garages: a marked two-wheeler zone (paint plus racks), which also reduces "visiting" bikes taking up car spaces.

The fair rule

An internal rule (simple majority): what can be left where, pushchairs allowed for a reasonable period in the agreed nook (a family with a baby cannot carry the pram up every time — living together is also this), and removal of abandoned vehicles (a notified process: tag, deadline, documented removal).

E-scooters: the safety nuance

Lithium batteries and their charging are the new fire risk: the growing recommendation (and in some by-laws an obligation) is not to charge in common areas or corridors. If a room with sockets is provided, it must have a properly inspected installation — not an improvised extension lead.

The result

A clear entrance hall plus a decent spot for the wheels equals one of those cheap improvements that raise the daily quality of life of the whole building (and that meetings approve with a smile, for a change).