Southwark has been named as the worst borough for bicycle storage spaces, as campaigners highlight the ‘bizarre’ places they are forced to store their bikes.
Around 8,500 cyclists in Southwark are currently waiting for a secure space to store their bicycles.
More than 60,000 people across the capital are on a waiting list for a secure bike hanger, with Southwark topping the list.
These findings were revealed in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Clean Air Wins Campaign, which aims to promote zero-emission transport.
The inner city borough of Southwark is followed closely by Camden, Islington, Lewisham and Lambeth whose waiting lists also stretch into the thousands.
These figures come as the #ThisisAwkard campaign is highlighting the “bizarre” places Londoners are forced to store their bikes because of the lack of bike hangers.
Bicycles hanging off balconies and parked in toilets have been shared online by Twitter users as part of the campaign.
Other pictures submitted so far include someone who is asleep in a bed next to their bike and a bike being stored close to the oven.
Tweets using the #ThisisAwkard hashtag have come from cyclists across London in Islington, Hackney, Hounslow, Lambeth, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets and Greenwich.
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“Who wants to heave a bike up flights of stairs,” said Eilidh Murray, Cycle Islington campaign coordinator. “The feeling of having locked up a bike to a lamppost overnight and wondering if it will still be there in the morning is one many of us will recognise and dread.”
The Clean Air Wins campaign is calling on councillor candidates to commit to providing a cheap, convenient and secure bike hangar space for all residents that need one ahead of local elections being held in May.
“Forcing people to do the ‘cycle salsa’ at home isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s utterly unfair given the abundance of space set aside for cars on our streets,” said Oliver Lord, UK head of Clean Cities Campaign.
“By not delivering the secure bike parking we need, London’s councillors are failing residents who want to do the right thing and neglecting their duties to reduce air pollution, tackle the climate crisis and help prevent the 400 bike thefts that occur every week,” he added.
The FOI from Clean Air Wins shows that there is a waiting list of 60,715 people wanting to hire a bike hangar across London’s 32 boroughs.
This means nearly three times as many people are waiting for a space, as there are places to hire in bike hangars – with only 22,592 spaces available.
The number of people on the waiting list in London has risen 28% from 47,578 since a study conducted six months ago.
Yet the true figure is are likely to be even higher as it only shows those who have registered for a bicycle storage space, meaning they underestimate demand.
More than half of Londoners see a lack of cycle parking as a key deterrent to cycling, according to analysis by TfL.
