HOW TO: Bicycle Parking

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PDF IconDbp Bike Parking Standards V2

Dimensions for installing "staple" bike racks are critical. Here are our suggested standards.

This custom bike rack was designed for San Francisco's Mission Bay project. Though capacity is limited to one bike per rack and the round tube makes it vulnerable to pipe-cutter-equipped thieves, it looks great and supports bikes securely.

San Francisco official bike parking standards:

SFMTA Bicycle Rack Location Guidelines 

 

 

The new ductile cast iron rack for the Yerba Buena District designed by CMG Landscape architects. In editions of 30 with subtly modified designs in each version. Artful, beautiful, durable, and practical.

Bicycle parking is an important element in urban and building design. Well done, it encourages bike riding by giving people secure places to lock or store their bicycles.

 

Bike parking can be divided into two main classes, open parking (racks for visitors) and enclosed parking (for building residents and workers).

Racks are often improvised, as in this example in Milan.

This design integrates the bike parking with the street tree module resulting in a ordered and attractive urban street scape design.

U-rack fabricator and supplier: http://www.bikeparking.com

 

This is the standard U-rack used in San Francisco's City Bike Parking Program. This is a stainless-steel rack—an upgrade from the normal galvanized version—which I prefer. With stainless, make sure to spec no clear overcoat, which would scratch and look terrible.

This new public square in downtown Portland features a nice modification of the Portland staple. The round tube might be an issue in higher crime cities where thieves are known to use pipe cutters to cut racks and steal bikes.

U Racks

I think the standard U, or STAPLE has a utilitarian charm. 

Racks can be ganged at 24" centers, allowing two bikes per U.  The most important design criteria for U-racks is leaving clear access space on both ends.  Frequently designers put a row of racks up against a wall or other obstruction, reducing their capacity by 50%.

These O racks are a nice variation of the standard U. I'm partial to this galvanized finish which I find more interesting and authentic compared to brushed stainless steel.

Bike parking at the DbA office.

Business Bike Parking

Businesses are installing bicycle parking for their employees and customers that ride that is in the public areas instead of hidden in a garage or store room.

 

Heath Tile Factory in the Mission District of SF puts the bike parking front and center.

The interior of the Tassafaronga apartments' bike room featuring the Vertirack from www.bikeparking.com, an excellent rack design that holds the bike well and provides a good locking point. There is a bike room near the elevator on each residential level, a great way to provide convenient and secure bike parking.

Secure Bike Room Parking

This type storage is for residents and/or workers in a building.  Although it can be accomplished with U-racks, a secure bike room is a much better option.  Thieves steal bikes, and parts from bikes, even in locked garages.

A comprehensive review of indoor bike parking is available at www.transalt.org/features/bikeparking.html.

The Vertirack system is a good implementation of this concept. Manufactures web page at http://www.bikeparking.com/vertirack/.

Double height racks in the La Valentina bike room.

Located in front of the Main Library in San Francisco, this on-street bicycle parking area replaced two car spaces with 38 bike spaces (you do the math). It also cleared the sidewalks for disabled people.

A huge bicycle parking garage by the main train station in Amsterdam. We have a long way to go here in the U.S.

Bike Corrals

As bicycle use increases in urban areas, there needs to be bike parking located in the public realm. BIKE CORRALS are starting to be a common feature in bike friendly cities. Amsterdam has a multi-level bicycle parking garage located by the main train station.

Portland uses these "Bike Corrals" to provide on street addition parking for businesses, in this case the Ace Hotel.

"Wave" racks do not provide good support or organization for bicycles. They also don't allow 3 point locking (both wheels and frame) like U racks. This fail is at one of our affordable housing designs.

Architects often locate bike racks so they are too close to walls to allow bikes to be efficiently parked there.

Bike Parking Don'ts

Many standard racks are poorly designed, such as the "wave" rack. It's better if the rack functions well as well as looks cool (not impossible, but requires some thoughtfulness)..

But everything in Amsterdam isn't perfect!
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