It is often said that our Dutch cousins put us Brits to shame when it comes to all things cycling.  On a recent trip to the Netherlands, this was borne out by seeing streams of bike of all sizes and with all ages of riders going past the cafe where we sat.  Of course, all things ‘fiets' comes naturally to them, put on the front of bike at the earliest opportunity.  But when it comes to parking their bikes, perhaps the Netherlands has a more mixed story to tell.

Anybody who has been to the Centraal Station in Amsterdam will report the extraordinary spectacle of the multistory cycle park, filled to capacity with hundreds of bikes.  Provision at its best, it could be said. Equally impressive are the facilities at every Dutch rail station, however small.  Cycle parking is always located near entrances and often on both sides of the tracks.  If you need to take your bike with you, there are even special grooves in the stairs to wheel your bike up to the platforms.

Look around any Dutch town centre and there is sometimes a different picture. Bikes parked any old way, any old where, sometimes abandoned altogether.  Our street declutter friends would not be impressed.  Even taking account of the wider roads and shared space layout, it is quite easy to fall over a bike.

Which leaves us with an interesting conundrum: is bike clutter the automatic result of more cycling or can we come up with some smart solutions?

First, some sort of division needs to be made between parking for the shopping cyclist, the quick visit or take away cyclist and the cycling commuter.  The former needs easily accessible parking, very near to shops and services and immediately visible.  In Better Bankside, we have installed one smart solution: the Cycle Hoop, easily fixed to existing street furniture and very economically in terms of space.

The cycling commuter requires something else altogether.  Safe secure and reliable parking perhaps not immediately inside the office building, but at least only a few minutes walk away.  Space here is key. Whilst we have lots of good examples of bigger employers providing cycle parking in their basements, smaller businesses are often stuck.  Located in rented or shared buildings, there is simply no space.

We have been looking at a number of solutions including the refurbished shipping container.  This could be slotted into any temporarily vacant piece of land and made beautiful with some public art.  It would have the advantage of being flexible.  More cyclists?  Add another container.  New development?  It could be lifted up moved elsewhere.

And whilst our Dutch cousins may have the edge on cycle paths, cycle access to trains, cycle trailers..., to name but a few cycle concepts, perhaps in a year or two's time we could teach them a thing or two about parking?  Watch this space.