Londoners are being forced to store their bikes in awkward places such as bathrooms, hallways and next to their beds as demand for secure bicycle storage skyrockets.

A surge in demand for secure bicycle storage has seen cyclists in London face wait times of up to four years for a space, with more than 60,000 people now on waiting lists across the capital. There were just over 47,000 Londoners waiting for a bike parking space six months ago.

Data obtained by the Clean Cities Campaign found that there are 60,715 Londoners currently on waiting lists for secure bike parking, with only 22,592 spaces available across Greater London.

Demand is highest in Southwark, where more than 8,500 people have signed up to a wait list for hangar space. Camden and Islington have also seen high levels of demand, with wait lists of 7,307 and 6,963 respectively.

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A coalition of clean air organisations led by Clean Cities Campaign is calling on Londoners to share images of the awkward places they have to store their bikes, using the hashtag #ThisIsAwkward on social media. Photos shared so far have shown cyclists storing their bikes in bathtubs, next to toilets and in cramped hallways.

The coalition is urging candidates in upcoming council elections to commit to building more secure bicycle storage to match the level of demand.

Oliver Lord, the UK head of Clean Cities Campaign, said it is “utterly unfair” that cyclists are facing such long waits for parking “given the abundance of space set aside for cars on our streets”.

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He said: “More than 60,000 Londoners are waiting for a bike hangar space – and that is just the people lucky to have the time and energy to put their name forward. If councillors want to help Londoners jump on a bike and use their car less, then they have to make it as easy as possible. 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.

“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.”