As cycling continues to grow as a trend in cities and workplaces, one of the most common questions property owners, architects, and facility managers ask is: How much bike parking is enough?
Too few spaces frustrate cyclists. Overbuilding wastes space and budget. Anyone installing bike parking must find the right balance. This guide shows how to calculate the right number of spaces based on usage, regulations, and future growth.
Why Proper Bike Parking Matters
Bike parking is a valuable convenience and a meaningful amenity for both residential and public buildings. When it is thoughtfully designed and adequately sized, it supports cycling as a practical and attractive mode of transportation. However, when bike parking is insufficient or poorly planned, cyclists are often forced to lock their bikes to railings, trees, or street signs—creating safety hazards, accessibility issues, and visual clutter.
Well-planned bike parking matters for several reasons, one of the most important being its direct impact on bike usage. Visible, secure, and easy-to-access bike parking gives cyclists confidence that their bikes will be safe, addressing one of their biggest concerns: Where can I securely park my bicycle?
Providing enough high-quality bike parking also helps reduce clutter and unsafe locking practices, improves tenant, employee, and customer satisfaction, and supports compliance with zoning and building code requirements. In addition, well-executed bike parking enhances overall property value and contributes to broader sustainability and ESG goals.
Start with Local Codes and Regulations
In the UK, there is no single national law that sets a fixed number of cycle parking spaces for every type of building. Instead, requirements are usually driven by local planning authorities. This is why, typically, the best starting point for any project is to get yourself familiarised with your specific local authority’s regulations.
Most councils publish their own cycle parking standards within Local Plans or supplementary planning documents. These typically specify minimum numbers of spaces based on the type and size of development, such as residential units, offices, schools or retail spaces. For example, a London borough may require one cycle space per one-bedroom flat and two spaces for larger homes, while office developments are often assessed based on spaces per square metre of floor area or per number of employees.
While the exact numbers may vary, the underlying principle remains the same: cycle parking should be sufficient, safe, accessible and future-proofed. Many planners now expect developers to go beyond minimum standards, particularly in areas well served by cycle infrastructure or where local cycling rates are rising.
Consider Building Type and Use
Different properties have different demand and use patterns, and the type of building and how it is used make a significant difference.
Residential buildings generally require long-term, very secure parking, as people are most likely to use it overnight, unlike in an office setting.
An office, on the other hand, will have a predictable pattern of usage like high traffic during business hours and low or no usage after 17:00. For offices, you would ideally have long-term and secure storage provided and also want to consider adding amenities like showers and lockers, which typically increase the rates of employees commuting to work.
For retail and public spaces, short-term bike parking near entrances works well, as there is typically high turnover with fewer bikes staying for long periods.
Meanwhile, schools and universities often have high bike usage and might benefit from a combination of long- and short-term bike parking to meet the different needs of staff and students.
Analyse User Demand and Behaviour
A small office with hybrid working patterns may need fewer bike stands than a full-time, five-day workplace. On the other hand, a school or university campus may require a high volume of cycle parking to cope with peak arrival times. Residential schemes must consider not only current residents but also the likelihood of increased cycling over the building’s lifetime. Retrofitting additional cycle parking later can be costly and disruptive, so planning for growth from the outset is often the most sensible approach. Here is how to approach this.
Ask:
- How many people use the building daily?
- What percentage of occupants currently bike?
- What kind of bikes do they ride – e-bikes, regular, cargo?
- How long do cyclists typically stay at the location? Overnight, work hours, short-term?
- Is cycling growing in your area, and is that likely to affect the future number of cyclists in your building?
- Are you likely to be actively encouraging cycling?
As a rule of thumb, you can estimate your numbers in the following ways:
- For low-cycling areas: 5–10% of occupants may cycle
- For the average urban area: 10–20% of occupants may cycle
- For high-cycling cities: 20–30%+
However, there is no exact formula or universal number. Generally, we would always advise meeting or exceeding local planning standards, observing and validating user demand numbers, adding a reasonable allowance for growth, and designing for flexibility and future expansion.
Plan for Future Growth
As you may have noticed, some of the questions above are about current cycling stats, but others are about the future. The reason for that is that cycling rates tend to increase once good infrastructure is installed. Additionally, the overall societal consensus over the last few years has been that more active travel should be encouraged, so this trend is likely to grow.
How do you plan for it? You need to take stock of your current needs and consider provisioning additional space. Alternatively, you could plan an expansion space for future racks and earmark it for that purpose. Another way you could address this from the start is by installing space-saving systems, such as two-tier bike racks and e-bike charging bike racks as the likelihood is that electric bike usage will increase in the coming years.
Determining the number of bike parking spaces is not about a single fixed number. It requires an informed and balanced decision. The best approach combines local planning requirements, understanding building use, realistic demand estimates, and future growth.
While local authority standards provide an essential baseline, they should not be treated as the final answer. Buildings that consider user behaviour, peak demand, and emerging trends such as e-bikes are far more likely to deliver bike parking that is genuinely usable rather than merely compliant. Planning slightly beyond current needs—whether through additional spaces, flexible layouts, or room for future expansion—can help avoid costly retrofits and frustration later on.
Ultimately, well-designed bike parking is long-term infrastructure. When it is secure, accessible, and appropriately sized, it supports sustainable travel, improves the user experience, and adds lasting value to a property. By taking a thoughtful, forward-looking approach, property owners can ensure their bike parking works not just for today, but for years to come.