In a city where 50 bikes are stolen every day, Londoners are finding it harder to secure a spot in a secure cycle hangar than gaining admission to the University of Cambridge, according to research by the Clean Cities Campaign. (1)
With 60,200 people on the waiting list for a cycle hangar across the capital, only 8,500 places have been created since May 2022, meaning that seven people are fighting for every single spot. Cambridge University on average receives around six applications per place. (2,3)
Campaigners have singled out a number of boroughs that are failing to provide enough secure cycle parking to stop thieves in their tracks and help residents choose a more active, cleaner form of travel. A new report from Clean Cities revealed a number of boroughs are yet to make sufficient progress to address the backlog for spaces and just seven boroughs – Barking & Dagenham, Croydon, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Sutton and Westminster – will meet current demand by 2026.
Wandsworth only plans to meet less than a quarter of the demand from the 4,300 people on its waiting list by 2026. Bexley, Harrow and Hillingdon are yet to install any secure residential cycle parking at all despite around a third of their residents living in flats or apartments (between 25% to 35%).
The campaign will also be highlighting success stories, such as in Lambeth, where the council is converting old car garages into secure cycle parking on estates. Campaigners will be launching a poster campaign in collaboration with London charity ‘Poetic Unity’, in Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and Lambeth from the week of 18 December.

Clean Cities is calling on the Mayor of London to urgently provide a £35 million fund to support boroughs so they can end waiting lists and ensure secure cycle parking is deployed where it is needed most.

The Mayor of London has called the lack of secure cycle parking at home “a major barrier to cycling” and “an issue that needs to be addressed”. Responding to questions by the London Assembly last month, the Mayor said “There is nothing that is going to put off a cyclist/a new cyclist more than not having somewhere to store their bike” and that “TfL’s research suggests that nearly half of Londoners actively considering taking up cycling have nowhere secure to store a cycle at home”.
Oliver Lord, Head of UK at Clean Cities Campaign said: “Having somewhere to safely keep your bike just shouldn’t be this hard. We know that encouraging cycling is important to the Mayor and the boroughs so prioritising the provision of secure parking seems like a no-brainer, particularly as we know it’s a huge barrier for people starting out.
It’s a shame that there’s such a postcode lottery for having a safe place near home to leave your bike – everyone deserves equal access. There are innovative ways to address the backlog and we urge every borough to look hard at these waiting lists and to deliver what is needed as quickly as possible”.

Wandsworth’s growing waiting lists, while Lambeth leads the pack
Wandsworth, another borough facing challenges, has committed to adding only 1,050 spaces by 2026, meeting a mere 24% of the current demand. The waiting list in Wandsworth has already reached 4,300 people, with only 1,789 spaces currently available at £42 each.
This stands in sharp contrast to Lambeth, which is already in the top five boroughs with secure cycle spaces and has plans to deliver at least 4,000 more by 2026 with a multi-million pound contract. In a borough where 75% of residents live in flats, Lambeth has lowered the annual cost of on-street cycle hangar to just £30 and it is now converting car garages on council estates into cycle parking, as well as introducing bespoke solutions for larger adapted bikes to improve accessibility for those with mobility issues.

It comes as new research produced for the Clean Cities Campaign by transport consultancy Steer, shows that the demand for secure bike storage has soared by 17% in the last 18 months. In spring last year Clean Cities first ran a campaign highlighting the incredible places from toilets to bedrooms to balconies that people are forced to store their bikes.
Joe Twinn Lambeth resident said: “I’m a long time cyclist and use my bike for work. I’ve had a lot of bikes stolen over the years, so right now I keep mine in my flat. I looked into some bike parking they had on my estate a few years ago – but I remember at the time they never seemed to have spaces free. Good to hear that Lambeth is stepping up now though!”

Cllr Isla Wrathmell, Active Travel Champion, Lambeth Council added: “Cycling is vital for our public health, air quality and climate change goals and therefore councils need to make cycle storage more convenient, safe and affordable. Lambeth Council is working hard with innovative solutions to improve access to cycle storage on estates. No one should be left behind if we want to make the shift to a healthy and clean transport network.”