Introduction to secure cycle parking and off-street car parking
In planning for active places, cycle parking should account for future growth in cycling. Car parking should be balanced against the desirability of active modes for short journeys and the availability of public transport.
Providing off-street car parking can avoid pavement parking or congested streets. Secure cycle parking for homes, workplaces and other destinations maximises opportunities for cycling for everyday journeys.
Cycle parking guidance
Secure and overlooked cycle parking should be closer to the entrance than car parking spaces or pick-up and drop-off points for shops and community facilities. New residential developments should always provide dedicated secure ground floor cycle parking.
Long stay secure cycle parking should be provided in locations which are easy to access, covered, and well over-looked. Parking for destinations such as workplaces and educational establishments should offer secure access. Cycle parking in workplaces can be provided alongside showers, lockers, bike maintenance equipment, and changing spaces.
Cycle parking and storage for mobility scooters, wheelchairs or other wheeled mobility options should be next to, or as close as possible to, main access points. Space for cargo bicycles also needs to be considered.
Car parking guidance
Car parking at the front of houses should be broken up by greenery to reduce the visual impact on the streetscape. The over-reliance of integral garages should be avoided, as these can have a negative impact on the streetscape and can reduce natural surveillance.
Car parking spaces should be large enough to ensure that they are used and that they do not encourage anti-social parking, including vehicles overhanging parking spaces and obstructing pavements.
Where car parking is provided in courtyards, these should be small and overlooked from ground floor habitable rooms.
