There not common, Mike Burrows liked them because they were simple & pretty much uncomplicated and needed no adjustment. He used them on many of his designs and the 8 freight comes to mind.
Issue though is they haven't caught on and spares are hard to find for some of them, Sturmey Archer was a common brand.
We had one as an extra on a tandem many years ago.
My son also had one as an 8 year old on a Dawes Formula One.
Like this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305490585120
It was a very silly bike for several reasons, I don't know what induced me to buy it for him.
Mike Burrows designs were unique , all his designs used the single sided axle versions and as time went on they becames scarcer to procure so he stopped his production at about 100 units .
Also his halfway folder and other designs used the same brake type.
Minimilist and lightweight was his ethos not forgetting his ground braking world beating Olympic bike design for Chris Boardman.