Smart bike room access for Southend-on-Sea's Cyclepods shelters

Southend-on-Sea City Council has turned its Cyclepods bike shelters into smart bike rooms. In spring 2025, Bikeep's access platform put nine municipal bike rooms on QR code entry and self-service passes, delivered with Cyclepods and Bailey Street Furniture Group.

Why the council moved away from keys

The council wanted more people to cycle into town and around it. Its bike rooms ran on physical keys and access cards. Staff had no remote view of the rooms, and getting a key put off people who only wanted to try cycling.

How the smart bike rooms work

Bikeep fitted smart door controllers to the existing Cyclepods shelters. The council kept its shelters and gained connected access, using the bike room access kit.

• QR code entry on every door
• Daily, weekly and monthly passes that riders buy themselves
• 4G connectivity with over-the-air updates
• Remote management of every room from one console

How to park your bike in Southend-on-Sea

Riders scan the QR code on the bike room door, choose a pass and the door unlocks. There is no key to collect and no form to fill in. The rooms suit commuters, shoppers and visitors to the seafront alike.

What the council says

"Bikeep's technology has brought a new level of innovation to Southend-on-Sea on how we enable and encourage cycling in the city. It's futuristic, user-friendly, and has elevated the standard of infrastructure we provide." Iain Banks, Active Travel Manager, Southend-on-Sea City Council

Iain Banks adds that regular cyclists and tourists have taken to the shelters with real enthusiasm.

Ten rooms after Victoria Plaza

After three months of positive feedback, the council converted the last four doors at the central Victoria Plaza hub in July 2025. That brought the network to ten connected bike rooms. The full story is in the Southend-on-Sea case study.