Here’s some good news to start the week: Transport for London’s bid to increase the number of cycle parking spaces across the city does actually seem to be working. A new development on the northern edge of the city centre will have 930 flats, 200 parking spaces, and – wait for it – 1,486 bike parking spaces.
The towers, at 250 City Road (halfway between Old Street and Angel) have one bike parking space per bedroom, or around 1.5 per flat. The parking is in the building’s basement, where there’s also a bike repair shop. A special bike lift runs between the basement and the the ground floor.
250 City Road. Image: Foster + Partners.
Last summer, TfL released a new set of cycle infrastructure guidelines with a hard line on cycle parking. The guidelines stated that the city needed more cycling infrastructure to deal with growing demand, but stressed that this wasn’t the sole responsibility of dedicated cycling schemes: new property developments should include them too:
Cycle parking also needs to be a key consideration for any new development that people are expected to travel to and from… Through the planning process, high quality cycle parking should be regarded as an integral part of a scheme.
According to the guidelines, 250 City Road should have had around 1200 bike parking spaces, but Islington Council stepped in and said even more would be needed. Good work, Islington.
