Title: Policy I/EV: Parking and electric vehicles
I would recommend that this is changed for ease of reference to ‘Parking and electric charging for cars, motorcycles, cycles and other micromobility vehicles’

The Local Plan needs to contain detailed, quantified standards for all sizes of developments, with higher standards for car-free developments, and explicit guidance for mixed-use developments where facilities (e.g. for visitor car and cycle parking and deliveries) are likely to be shared between site occupiers.


Standards on parking for micromobility vehicles should set a:
• Minimum ratio of secure cycle parking spaces per resident (not per bedroom) – ideally aiming for one-to-one in car-free developments and where possible elsewhere to ensure that lack of a secure cycle parking space is never a deterrent to taking up cycling.
• A proportion of inclusive cycle parking spaces for disabled cyclists. Inclusive cycle parking spaces are spaces that are best located for disabled people to use. Some of these spaces will also be off-gauge for tricycles and other larger disability-adapted cycles, but also some disabled cyclists use ordinary bicycles as well.
• A proportion of cycle parking for off-gauge cycles – especially necessary for families living without a car.
• Proportion of space allocated to other micromobility vehicles, including mobility scooters and e-scooters.
• Provision of secure charging facilities for micromobility vehicle batteries.
• Provision of secure storage lockers for accessories (helmets, panniers, waterproof clothing, detachable lights, etc)
• Maximum proportion of two-tier cycle parking – recognising that a person’s height and upper-body strength determines whether they can use an upper-tier rack. There should be strict requirements for two-tier cycle parking where it is permitted: the upper tier must have gas-struct lifting assistance, each space must have a welded locking loop for securing the bicycle, there must be a minimum spacing between stands, the aisle width must meet a minimum standard, and absolutely under no circumstances are developers allowed to use models of two-tier stands that have Sheffield stands on the bottom tier – they don’t function correctly and cause the upper tier to become inaccessible.
• Standards for the incline of ramps to access cycle parking – recognising that some people who cycle have restricted mobility that may make cycling or walking up a relatively steep ramp or walking up a large number of steps impossible.
• Standards for accessibility – access routes must be designed to ensure that all types of cycles, including non-standard cycles, mobility scooters, electric cycles can be easily accessed without assistance. Particular attention should be paid to occupied parking bays potentially blocking access; doorways that have to be held open to pass through; lifts that are too shallow to accommodate longer cycles; ‘airlock’ doorways that are too close together to fit longer cycles; right-angle corners that impede movement of longer cycles; narrow passageways that cannot fit wider vehicles in opposing directions.
• Standards for the security and surveillance of cycle park entrances – recognising that natural surveillance is the best deterrent to would-be thieves.

CAR PARKING

New developments must be designed to prevent parking on pavements and to ensure minimal car traffic near homes, schools and places where people gather.
Developments should be required to plan for at least 40% of short/medium-distance trips to be taken by pedal cycle or electrically-assisted pedal cycle, comparable to role-model cities in the Netherlands. Planned levels of car parking should take this into account.
The use of shared vehicles, including car clubs, should be strongly encouraged.
Standards on car and motorcycle parking should include guidance on
• The ratio of short-stay (up to 20 minutes), medium-stay (up to 4 hours) and long-stay (over 4 hours) parking provision per unit for visitors, deliveries and service providers (carers, doctors, cleaners, boiler service people, etc).
• Acceptable methods of controlling use of these bays where they are not on the public highway – recognising that in a Residents Parking Zone or where no on-street parking is available, free off-street parking is likely to be occupied by non-visitors, and potentially by commuters and shoppers.
The number of club car bays in car-free developments, including to serve residents in the surrounding area.
The proportion of bays allocated to motorcycles.


ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING POINTS

Any electric car charging infrastructure that is provided in new and existing developments must not undermine walking and cycling accessibility.

Charging infrastructure in public areas should not consume space that would have been available for pedestrians or cyclists or other space. It should also be designed so that cabling between chargers and vehicles does not constitute and hazard and does not conflict with routes people might take to walk or cycle.