Cycle parking provision in London falls far short of demand and will undermine the mayor’s ambitions for a cycling revolution, according to a new London Assembly report.
The report calls on boroughs to conduct cycle parking audits and for Transport for London to publish a cycle parking strategy for consultation by the end of the year.
Secure spaces at new office buildings fall short of demand because developers are typically required to install one cycle parking space for every 25 employees – but at some businesses, one in five employees is already cycling.
The report concludes that the number of spaces required at new developments, including residential, will need to be increased from those in the current London Plan.
As well as numbers, specifications should cover design, layout and security standards so boroughs can apply and enforce the guidelines more easily when considering planning applications for new developments.
Other opportunities to increase cycle parking include incorporating general cycle parking in the Velib docking stations when introduced, and converting vacant underground parking stations to cycle parking.
The report also found a woeful lack of secure cycle parking at mainline stations, which could only be rectified if conditions were built into train operating companies’ franchise agreements.
The mayor is making £2M available to fund an increase in secure cycle parking, but even TfL is concerned this might not be enough, according to the report.
Joanne McCartney AM, who led the investigation on behalf of the assembly’s transport committee, said: ‘In virtually every area I looked at, from new residential developments to mainline stations, the situation was the same – there is not enough secure cycle parking in the right places to meet the soaring demand in London.
‘Boroughs, Transport for London, rail operators and the private sector need to work together to find innovative solutions to increase cycle parking, or the wheels will come off the mayor’s commendable aspirations to encourage more Londoners to cycle.’
• Stand and deliver: Cycle parking in London : http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/transport.jsp#cycle-parking
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