This policy title should include the word “cycle” and possibly “micromobility” in the title for ease of reference, e.g. “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.

Micromobility vehicles include:
– Standard cycles
– Tricycles
– Tandem and triplet cycles
– Cargo cycles
– Cycles with trailers and trailer-bikes/tag-alongs
– Recumbent cycles
– Hand cycles
– Electric-assist versions of all the above
– Mobility scooters
– Push-scooters, including electrically powered

Standards on parking for micromobility vehicles should follow current best practice and be set out in the Local Plan and Supplementary Planning Guidance, covering at least:
– 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.
– Proportion of cycle parking for off-gauge cycles – especially necessary for families living without a car.
– Proportion of cycle parking spaces that are inclusive. These are best located for disabled people to access and use. At least some of these spaces will also be off-gauge for tricycles and other larger disability-adapted cycles.
– 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.
– 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. Wheeling ramps should be considered only ever as a last resort for providing cycle access between levels.
– Accessibility – access routes must be designed to ensure that all types of cycles, including non-standard cycles and mobility scooters, 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; tight corners that impede movement of longer cycles; narrow passageways that cannot fit wider vehicles in opposing directions.
– Security and surveillance of cycle park entrances – recognising that natural surveillance is the best deterrent to would-be thieves.
– Security of cycle parking stands: tamper-proof ground-fixings and components.

Standards on car and motorcycle parking should include guidance on:
– 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 servicepersons, 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, such as commuters and shoppers.
– Number of club car bays in car-free developments, including to serve residents in the surrounding area.
– Proportion of bays allocated to motorcycles.