Two bike parking places per apartment for new buildings in the EU

A lack of safe and secure bike parking has long been a prohibitive factor for cycling. Now, European Union member states have adopted legislation that establishes minimum bicycle parking standards for residential and non-residential buildings.

The new rules are part of an effort to make buildings in the EU zero-emission by 2050, which includes energy consumption targets and a plan to phase out fossil fuel heating. Alongside the requirement for bike parking, buildings must have charging points for electric vehicles.

The specific number of spaces required varies based on a range of factors, with the highest requirement set for residential buildings that are either new or undergoing a 'major renovation'. If such a building has more than three car parking spaces, it must by law have two bicycle parking places per apartment.

For non-residential buildings that are either new or undergoing a 'major renovation', there must be enough bike parking for 15% of the average number of people in the building, or 10% of the maximum capacity.

Read more: European Union aims to ‘unleash the full potential of cycling’ through ‘historic’ declaration

Existing non-residential buildings with over 20 car parking spaces will need to install bike parking under the new legislation too.

For non-residential buildings, the legislation says that planners should consider "space for bicycles with larger dimensions than standard bicycles, such as cargo bikes", as well as provide charging facilities for e-bikes.

The new rules, which were agreed upon in December 2023, were voted in by 20 EU member states on 12 April 2024. Five states abstained from the vote and two, Italy and Hungary, opposed. The EU states now have two years to incorporate the changes into their national legislation.

More information on the legislation is given by the European Cyclists Federation here.

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