No liability is accepted for damage to private vehicles or bicycles brought onto College premises, however it might be caused.  Any vehicle left on College property is left at the owner’s risk.  

Bicycles

If you bring a bicycle to College, please complete the Bicycle registration form. To complete your registration, please report to the Porters' Lodge where you will be issued a label that must be attached to your bike.

Official Governing Body Fellows are permitted to cycle in College and may bring their bicycles into the Quadrangle and other College areas.

Otherwise, cycling is not permitted anywhere in College and no bicycle may be brought into the Quadrangle, Howard Court, or Kenny Court. An exception to this is that postgraduates resident in the Singer Building may wheel their bicycles through the Quadrangle en route to or from their accommodation. No bicycles should be brought across the front of the Library.

Staff, students and others arriving by bicycle should dismount as soon as possible once inside the College gates and in any case before they pass the Porters' Lodge.

All bicycles left unattended should be locked in a College bike shed. Bicycles left elsewhere in College may be removed by the Porters.

In accordance with the Residential Agreement, no bicycles may be stored in staircases or College houses.

All student bicycles must be marked with a unique personal number which will be allocated by the Porters. This is not only to satisfy University Regulations (Proctors may issue warnings or on-the-spot fines for failure to comply) but also to maximise the chance of the bike’s return should it be stolen.

Unregistered bikes are not covered by college insurance in the event of theft. Information as to accommodation for bicycles in the College should be obtained from the Head Porter. The College insurance provides cover of a maximum of £200 (less any policy excess) for your bicycle. Please refer to the insurance webpage for more details.                  

Motor vehicles

Owing to traffic problems in Cambridge, the University and Colleges are under an obligation to the local authorities to restrict the use of motor vehicles by students. It is an offence against University rules for a student to keep, hire or drive a car or motorcycle within ten miles of Cambridge St Mary’s Church while in residence in Term or in the Long Vacation without permission. The University Motor Proctor may impose a fine for breaches of this rule. For further information, please visit the Proctors' and Marshal's Office's Motor Vehicles page.

Permission to park in College can be considered for the following:

  1. Those students who have a registered disability and hold a blue badge
  2. UG Clinical medics and Vets
  3. Those students with exceptional circumstances

In relation to 2 and 3 above, permission can only be granted when an authorised parking space is available.

A College parking badge is required if a vehicle is to be parked in College, for which there is a charge for the academic year (see the Fees and Charges page). Students with a registered disability, are not required to pay a fee.

Rules and regulations for student car parking

  • Student car parking is very limited in College and only special cases are granted permission, as capacity allows.
  • Student parking spaces are ordinarily located in front of the houses on Lensfield Road, not on the Domus; a space at Lensfield Road does not grant access to the Domus itself
  • Students are not allowed to park or drive their cars on the Domus without prior permission of the Senior Tutor: senior-tutor@dow.cam.ac.uk, or in exceptional cases at the Porter’s discretion (e.g. unloading, medical reasons etc.)
  • There is a rising bollard for access to the Domus – take extreme care!
  • The speed limit on the Domus of 5mph must be observed at all times
  • No vehicles are allowed in Main Court, Kenny Court or First Court
  • If space allows, parents/carers of junior members are allowed to park in College when visiting, and to do so they will need to report to the Porters’ Lodge. In addition, there are a limited number of spaces to those needing to be in College which are offered subject to availability.

Downing College student car parking application process (for students living on-site)

  • For parking during the 2025/26 academic year, please apply via the application form now. For parking during the 2026/27 academic year, please apply by the published deadline when advised in the Downing Electronic Newsletter (DEN) that applications are open. Any enquiries should be addressed to: college-office@dow.cam.ac.uk.  
  • After the closing date the Academic Registrar and the Senior Tutor will be asked by the College Office to review your application. Subsequent decisions will be passed to the College Office to see if College has an available space to allocate to you.
  • If successful in being granted parking in College the College Office will provisionally allocate a parking space and communicate this decision to you by email.
  • You will be advised you now need to apply for a University Motor Licence if you wish to keep, hire or drive a car in Cambridge. Apply via the Proctors' and Marshal's Office. Please note at Downing, it is the College Office or your Tutor who may sign your Motor Licence application.
  • On receipt of your Motor Proctor Licence, please send the details to the College Office: college-office@dow.cam.ac.uk .
  • If all is in order, the College Office will issue you a College badge to display in your car along with the University Motor Proctor licence. Both must be displayed at all times when parking in College.

Additional points to note:

  • There are a limited number of car parking spaces available and the College normally receives more requests than we have spaces. This means that regrettably, there will always be some applications that we cannot accommodate.
  • Car parking permits will run from 1 October to 30 September the following year.
  • If you will be leaving College before 30 September, please let the College know so that they may be able to offer your parking space to another student.
  • If you will no longer live on site and/or your course has been completed and you no longer require your car to travel to your placements, your parking entitlements will cease.
  • If you are a new incoming postgraduate student arriving in College before October and intend to apply for an annual parking permit, please get in touch with the College Office, who may be able to grant you temporary parking for the duration of September. This is subject to availability. The charge for temporary parking can be seen on the College website: (see the Fees and Charges page).  
  • The annual charge for parking can be seen on the College website: (see the Fees and Charges page). Charges for parking will be added automatically to your College bill.
  • Your parking permit must be displayed as per the instructions that accompany it. Porters will be doing random checks to make sure those parking are permitted to do so.