A residents’ association has called on Brent Council to make sure it is always cheaper to park a bike than a car in the borough.

Jannie Kalb, chairman of Harlesden Area Action, pointed out that the cheapest parking permit in Brent is £25, whereas the minimum cost for a space in a bike hanger is £36, which then doubles after three years.

At a full council meeting last night (November 23), she asked Cllr Krupa Sheth, who is responsible for the environment at Brent Council, to provide more affordable storage options for cyclists.

Cllr Sheth explained that they are welcome to use bike stands across the borough, which are free.

She noted that many cyclists wish to pay for “the extra amenity of more secure on-street parking” and that the council is “looking at opportunities to reduce charges” for residents.

Ms Kalb’s request was part of a series of points put forward by her group urging the council to make parking greener.

It included an extension of diesel surcharges to pay-and-display car parks, a reduction on the number of parking permits available to each household in Brent, and the inclusion of motorbikes and scooters in permit schemes as seen in other London boroughs.

Cllr Sheth repeated that these concepts would be assessed in an upcoming parking strategy review and offered explanations as to why the council was yet to put them in place.

She noted that limiting the number of parking permits could disadvantage some ethnic groups who tend to have larger households.

And she said putting permits on scooters and motorbikes would be harder to implement in a borough outside of central London, while the diesel suggestion would need to be subject to a business case.