TRANS 6 - Cycle Parking Standards

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AIM

To ensure minimum levels of cycle parking are provided in new development in order to support sustainable transport objectives.

POLICY

The Council will require the provision of cycle parking in new development and redevelopment proposals in line with the minimum cycle parking standards specified in Tables 1 - 6.

• Wherever possible, employee cycle parking should be located within buildings or a secure compound.  Where such a location is not feasible, provision should be close to the main entrance of developments, to ensure cycling to work is encouraged through enhanced security provided by cycle parking surveillance.
• Visitor parking should be located at an easily accessible location close to, or within, the entrance area of the development in order to enhance security through surveillance.
• Cycle parking should always be safe, sheltered and secure.  Unless exceptional circumstances dictate otherwise, ‘sheffield' type cycle racks (each comprising 2 spaces) are to be used (the Council's ‘Roads Development Guide' provides a design specification).
• The Council requires developers of employment sites to provide showers, lockers and changing facilities, unless exceptional circumstances prevent this, as a means of promoting walking and cycling to work.

The standards set out below are intended to deliver a minimum level of cycle parking in new development and redevelopment.  In some instances, additional cycle parking may be appropriate, particularly at destinations expected to attract relatively high numbers of cyclists (e.g. adjacent to National Cycle Network routes or where mode share targets, developed through Transport Assessments (see development guide DG/TRANS 1), indicate this would be necessary).

Table 1: Residential

Provision should be in the form of ‘sheffield’ racks or storage lockers/cupboards allocated to each unit, with communal facilities possible for flatted developments.  These should be easily accessible and normally be on the ground floor or basement.

Table 2: Office, Industry and Business

Table 3: Shopping and Commercial

Table 4: Recreational

Table 5: Civic, Health and Education

Table 6: Transportation

* This is a minimum standard and at stations with comparatively few peak hour trains it may be that provision based on such a standard will be insufficient.  In these circumstances, the Council may require additional provision.

Note 1.       In certain instances parking levels have been set at a level roughly commensurate with a 5% modal share for cycling (e.g. 1 + 1 space per 20 staff at leisure/health developments).

Note 2.       After calculating the cycle parking requirements for any development, the number of cycle parking spaces should be rounded up to the nearest even number on the basis that each ‘sheffield’ stand can accommodate two cycles.

Note 3.       Wherever possible, cycle parking should be provided within the curtilage of the development site. In certain locations, e.g. the City Centre and other centres in the City’s network, it is recognised that this may not always be possible, particularly with regard to customer/visitor parking for shops.  In these instances, the Council will often consider it more appropriate to provide cycle parking for general public use.  Where this is the case, the developer will be asked to contribute to the cost of providing parking for general public use in the vicinity of the development.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

This policy supports the Plan’s Development Strategy by ensuring that an appropriate standard of cycle parking is supplied for different forms of development (see Part 2, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, Walking and Cycling, paragraph 6.34) and requires minimum levels of cycle parking in new development.  The lack of secure cycle parking at a journey’s end can be a disincentive to cycling for many people who may otherwise consider using a cycle for everyday travel requirements.  The standards set out in this policy are intended to ensure safe and secure parking at the destination for those wishing to commute, or undertake other journeys, by cycle.

The standards differentiate between parking for employees and parking for visitors.  Visitor parking is generally short-term and should be easily accessible to visitors arriving by cycle.  Staff parking, on the other hand, will have to cater for longer stay parking so needs to be secure enough to encourage employees to cycle to work.  In these circumstances, visitor and staff parking will generally have different locational requirements, with visitor parking at or near the main entrance to a building, and staff parking within the building or a secure compound.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 17: Planning for Transport requires local authorities to set cycle standards taking account of local circumstances along with the indicative standards in ‘Cycling by Design’, Planning Advice Note (PAN) 75: Planning for Transport indicates that secure cycle parking should be located near the main entrance and encouragement given to the provision of changing facilities.