If your employees choose to ride a bike to work, they need somewhere safe to store it when they arrive. Railings and drainpipes aren’t good enough - proper cycle parking is required. Quite apart from its practical use, it makes a statement: cyclists are welcome here. It’s also a major tick on Cycling UK’s Cycle Friendly Employer accreditation. 

Installing cycle parking isn’t a waste of business cash, because employees commuting by bike actually save you money. They’ll no longer need those expensive car parking spaces, and cyclists tend to be healthier, taking less time off sick – an average of two days a year fewer. Cycle commuters are also less likely to be late for work and will be more awake and more motivated when they arrive. 

Compare these benefits against the small cost of cycle parking. A single Sheffield stand – the classic rectangular hoop that provides parking for two bikes – can cost as little as £30 if you do the installation. Other solutions are more expensive, but still provide excellent value on a per-bike-commuter basis. 

Parking guides 

How much cycle parking does your company need? As a Cyclescheme provider, you’ll have a good idea: you know how many staff have taken advantage of the scheme! That’s your minimum (possibly divided by the number of work shifts). But it’s worth installing extra to cope with future demand. 

Whatever cycle parking you provide, it needs to meet certain criteria: 

Indoor options 

If there’s space available indoors you could reallocate some of that to cycle parking. The floor needs to be easy to keep clean. Ideally, the bikes won’t have to go through more than one door – to which the cyclists will need a key, key card, or door code. Any steps or stairs will need wheeling ramps. These look a bit like metal guttering and enable bikes to be pushed up and down steps rather than carried. 

You could fit Sheffield stands in your company bike room; they can be bolted down rather than concreted in. Or you could provide wall mounts so that bikes can be hung vertically by their wheels. Some lifting is involved with wall mounts, which makes them unsuitable for less-able cyclists and difficult for those with heavy bikes, such as e-bikes. Wall mounts ideally need an anchor point so the bike can be locked in place. 

Compact folders require very little space. A Brompton or similar might fit under a desk, or several might fit in a cloakroom. Or how about a bank of folding bike lockers?