Free cycle parking available for local businesses and community venues

Oxford City Council is working with ParkThatBike again to make free cycle parking available to voluntary sector groups, businesses, shops, offices, cafés, pubs, churches, dental practices and surgeries. Various designs of cycle stand are available.

The cycle stands are free of charge, with the business/group responsible for installing them in a location that ParkThatBike has approved on their property. ParkThatBike provides full instructions.

See below for the cycle stands available in Oxford and visit ParkThatBike for more information and how to apply.

We would encourage all Headington businesses, community centres and other venues that have space available to install cycle parking on their property to apply for this scheme.

There is a notable lack of cycle parking in Headington, particularly away from the central Headington area, e.g. in Highfield/New Headington, Old Headington, Headington Quarry and Risinghurst.

A lack of somewhere safe to lock bikes means that many businesses and venues in Headington are difficult to access by bike. This means that businesses may be losing out on revenue from cyclists, as they choose alternative places to shop, eat and drink where they can safely park their bikes and feel welcome.

Cycle parking is good for business, public health and the community:

• Cycle parking delivers 5x the retail spend per square metre than the same area of car parking and cyclists spend more per month than drivers (see this TFL report on the economic benefits of walking and cycling and Cycling UK’s report on the economic case for cycling for further examples of the benefits of good provision for cyclists)
• Good cycle parking provides an incentive for people to cycle rather than drive, which delivers health benefits to all customers, visitors and local residents by reducing the amount of pollution brought to the local area and providing opportunities for exercise.

For premises that already have car parking provision, repurposing just one car parking space for cycle parking using 4 Sheffield cycle stands would provide parking for around 8 bikes, so this is a great way of increasing the number of customers and visitors who could be catered for, as well as increasing business revenue.

We do hope local businesses and community centres will take up this opportunity to install some free cycle parking.