Cyclists in the UN can pay up to £107 per year for bike hangar use despite using up much less room than drivers. In some parts of London, the cost of storing a bike in a hangar is five times that of a car parking permit. Only six boroughs offer bike storage for less than or equal to the cost of a permit, and ten boroughs allow electric vehicles to be parked for free. According to Simon Munk of the London Cycling Campaign, the pricing discrepancy is “discouraging” cycling in the city. The #ThisIsAwkward campaign, which began in March, featured Londoners putting their bicycles in strange locations around their homes.

Because of their low emissions, electric vehicle owners can get a free parking permit in as many as ten boroughs. Islington Council has the highest bike hangar rental rate in London, at £107 per year, with electric vehicle licenses only £25 and other automobiles costing as little as £30. Islington Council, according to Oliver Lord of the Clean Cities Campaign, is not doing enough to encourage cycling. As per Mr. Lord, bike parking should never be more expensive than vehicle parking. He also wants local governments to reconsider their laws on car permits. “We’ve got it the wrong way around,” he added. “The way I look at it is it’s too cheap to park a car in these boroughs, so councils should be rebalancing things by charging more for car parking and using that money to fund cheap cycle parking spaces.”