Setting the Benchmark: Ensuring Cycle Parking Meets the Highest Standards

We’re proud of our projects. From vast office end-of-trip facilities in the City of London, through to green roofed cycle shelters in rural Wales.

We’re proud because we believe that cycle parking can help more people choose active travel journeys, which in turn can make our cities more liveable, reduce the impact on our environment, and boost health and wellbeing.

We also believe that the built environment has a lasting impact on our everyday lives, and should exist to be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and sustainable.

Making this a reality requires quality cycle parking that meets the correct standards: welcoming, safe, and easy to use for everyone. Projects that fall short won’t have the same impact, and that’s important.

So how do we meet these standards? Why are they important? And is there a bigger picture for cycle parking?

Meeting national standards and guidelines

UK standards for cycle parking come in the shape of both national and local guidance. All rely on the LTN 1/20, which is the default government guidance for local authorities installing active travel infrastructure.

In London, the LCDS is a set of guidelines and standards for all cycle parking, and is also adopted across the country.

All guidance prioritises designs which get more people cycling. Gas-assisted two-tier racks – which use a gas strut to bear the load of the rack – are an essential. As are correct loading distances, secure locations, and the provision of accessible cycle parking spaces.

Proper installations can be used by thousands of people every year, and last for many years to come.

But despite the existing standards and guidelines, many manufacturers continue to offer non gas-assisted two-tier racks, often in compromised areas with low ceiling heights. They’re unsafe, unwieldy, and hard to operate.

We’ll always work with our clients to understand which cycle racks work best in which space or shelter, following guidelines and taking cues from our experience and similar projects.

All our shelters and two-tier racks meet CE/UKCA regulations. For shelters, structural calculations are essential, especially for areas with higher wind speeds.

Meeting these criteria helps us ensure cycle parking really works. If someone is physically unable to park their bike, or doesn’t feel safe and secure in doing so, then they simply won’t use the cycle parking.

Without installing quality facilities, you not only create health and safety hazards, but also risk adding barriers that will stop people choosing active transportation.

Moving beyond box-ticking

Cycle parking for new commercial buildings is often a prerequisite for completion. Whether 20 or 2,000, the spaces simply need to be completed for the building to open. Often coming towards the end of a project, overlooking the quality of facilities could harm the long term image of a building.

For multi-million pound developments and regeneration projects, even the smallest details of a building will be meticulously planned and considered. Building materials, lighting, glazing – all the features that will dictate the long-term success of any building – are individually looked at to finish a project to the best level possible.

The cycle storage and parking facilities will function the same as any part of any building. More often than not, for those cycling, they’ll actually form the initial interaction.

And so ensuring these places are welcoming, well-lit and easy to navigate, with a high quality design finish, can help to keep visitors and staff cycling while encouraging newcomers too.

As a part of the overall building aesthetic, shelters provide the opportunity to install green roofs, matching cladding, bespoke artwork, or any feature which can help elevate cycle parking beyond a basic tick-box exercise.

Continual testing and improvements

To keep evolving and developing our installations, it’s essential for us to visit and test our products. 

Frequent site visits – to building sites or recently completed projects – let us ensure standards are met and test for any potential future problems. Viewing the project also means we can understand how the cycle parking works as a greater part of the project.

Long-term revisits are especially important, helping us gauge how products perform after multiple years’ worth of use and British weather.

At the University of Essex, one of our first installations, we found our two-tier racks continuing to function as expected – often even smoother – despite a steady flow of student use.

Spreading the message

Through our videos, case studies, blogs and photography, we’re able to showcase what quality cycle parking in the UK can really look like.

Whether inspiration for architects or local authority planners, this body of work is something we’re especially proud of. It’s not only a way to show new clients what we can do, but helps us continue to deliver to the best standards achievable.

Cycle parking continues to be an area controlled by strict budgets within a tough construction market. We have to be certain we can produce cost-effective designs which hold on to our core values.

With more high quality facilities up and down the country, we hope to continue to inspire more active travel journeys. 

Have a browse through our case studies page, or head to our YouTube channel to take a closer look.