Campaigners want spaces for each new resident
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Ealing Council's being urged to provide more cycle parking for new residential developments.
The council’s Development Planning Document proposes only providing one cycle space for each two-bed unit, and only two spaces for a unit with three or more beds.
Ealing Cycling Campaign (ECC) wants one cycle space per resident.
ECC says bicycles left outside overnight are frequently stolen, and, in many such instances, household insurance policies don't cover them. The alternative - carrying bicycles up stairs and storing them in halls and on balconies – only leads to buildings becoming cluttered and looking unsightly.
They argue that the space could also be used for storing pushchairs, children’s scooters, wheelchairs and similar equipment.
ECC’s proposal mirrors the British Medical Association’s recommendation that: “all planning applications for new developments should prioritise the need for people (including those whose mobility is impaired) to be physically active as a routine part of their daily life.”
A spokesman for the ECC said: “When the requirement for a bath in every house was introduced many years ago, some baths were initially used for storing coal. Nevertheless, with the benefit of hindsight, the requirement was sensible. It is much easier to provide space in the initial construction than it is to add it later.”
18th September 2012