More Bike Parking: Always a Good Decision
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 09.18.07
While many cities still require a certain number of parking spaces in new developments, Washington D.C. is on the verge of mandating a different type of parking: parking space for bicycles. The motion currently going through the city's council would be focused on making it easier for bicyclists in apartments and other dense urban areas. According to the Examiner:
The proposal would require that all apartment buildings with more than eight units set aside one bicycle parking space for every four residential units. Commercial landlords would have to provide enough bicycle parking to match at least 10 percent of the number of available automobile spaces.
With clever ideas like this providing six bike parking spaces for every car parking space, developers could satisfy the new mandate, and do their part in making their neighborhood more transit-friendly, with only one car-sized parking space per 24 residential units. For cities not willing to get rid of mandatory car parking requirements, hopefully required bike parking can make it easier for people to get around on two wheels instead of four.
:: Via Examiner
This is nothing. Why not mandate equal space for both?
A apartment building in DC I know has about fifty parking spaces for 300+ units, and almost unlimited bike parking in a garage/utility room in the basement (accessible via short ramp from parking lot).
the rule is simple. if you provide the space for bikes (road and parking), people will use them for the simple reason that is cheaper than car, bus or taxi and healthier than walking (well i am not sure of this statement, i just think it is).
On top of that, is a great seasonal way of promoting a city and great educational tool, for kids and drivers.
make it happen and people will use them.
Boulder, CO and lots of cities out West require bike parking in their zoning code.
In Boulder the requirement is:
"... at least 3 bicycle parking spaces or 10 percent of the required off-street parking spaces, whichever is greater, are required. After the first 50 bicycle parking spaces are provided, the required number of additional bicycle parking spaces is 5 percent of the required off-street parking spaces."
As a New Yorker, I can tell you that the biggest impediment to bicycle usage is not the lack of bike parking (use a parking meter!) or the lack of bike lanes (also known as taxi parking spaces). It's the theft! Instead of passing useless legislation like this, cities should be cracking down mercilessly on bike thieves, adopt GPS tracking, and impose a zero tolerance policy. The NYPD is so anti-bicycle, it's not funny.