A Systematic Approach

to Bicycle Parking

Planning for Cities

Jeffrey Rosenblum, City of Cambridge

Megan Kanagy, DowntownDC BID

Daniel Clark, Dero Bike Rack Company

September 10, 2014 :: Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place

Overview

● Bicycle parking 101

● Bicycle parking program in

the City of Cambridge

● DowntownDC Business

Improvement District (BID)

in Washington, DC

● Dero Bike Rack Company in

Washington, DC

● Looking ahead

Bicycle Parking 101

Good bicycle parking

Zoning requirements

Importance of a comprehensive strategy

Types of bicycle parking

Good and bad frame support

What Good Bicycle Parking Looks Like

● Strategically planned

● Actively connected with local

transport networks

● Beneficial to local

businesses

● Artistic contributions to

streetscape

● Sited with pedestrian traffic

patterns and accessibility in

mind

● Usable

Importance of Strategic Planning

● Holistic approach

● Complementary to

infrastructure

● Maintains orderly and neat

streetscape

● Creates designated areas

● Accommodates both short &

long term

● Designed with present

needs and future in mind

Zoning Requirements

● District of Columbia - Title

18, Chap 21: 2119.2

● City of Cambridge - Article

6.100

“Number of bicycle

parking spaces

provided shall be at

least equal to 5% of

the number of

automobile parking

spaces required”

“Bicycle Parking is

required in all

buildings with car

parking”

*Proposed new zoning would

unbundle bike parking from car

parking and be determined based on

# of units and sq. footage

Long Term vs. Short Term

Interior Bike Rooms

● Long-term parking: office

buildings, large residential,

schools, parking garages

● “Vertical” & “2-tier”

● Weather-proof

● Secure entry rooms

Temporary / Event Parking

● Seasonal events

● Farmer’s markets, street

fairs, concerts, presidential

inaugurations, 4th of July,

baseball games

● Free valet bicycle parking-

Washington Nationals

(250-500 bicycle spaces)

Frame Support - The Good

● Supports variety of bicycle

sizes and frames

● Provides adequate space

to secure bike with high-

security “U-lock”

● Both wheels remain on the

ground

● 2 points of contact

● Sturdy and durable support

into concrete/brick

streetscape

Frame Support - The Bad

● Suspend any part of

bicycle in the air

● Provides only 1 point of

contact

● Design allows bicycle to fall

and obstruct sidewalk

● Not secured to the ground

● “Wheel Bender”

Placement - The Bad

City Bike Parking Guides

The City of Cambridge

Bicycle Parking Planning for The City of Cambridge, MA

History

● Developed as joint effort between

Community Development &

Traffic, Parking & Transportation

Department

● Focuses primarily on sidewalks &

public space

● Over 500 bicycle racks installed in

first 5 years of program; 3,000+

total in city; cycle stall program

● Harvard Square - 173 metered

vehicle spaces and over 400

bicycle parking spaces

Who is involved?

● City of Cambridge:

Community Development,

Traffic Dept, DPW

● Business Associations

● Neighborhood groups

● Local business owners

● Interested residents

Funding sources

● $30,000 ARRA funds FY11

& FY12 for installation

● $10,000 from CDD & TPT

● $95,000 from MAPC for

cost of racks in FY12

● $50,000 annual budget for

purchasing and installation

going forward

City Department Responsibilities

● Community Development

o Receiving & processing requests

o Preliminary outreach and site visit

o Site approval

o Creation of “Round” presentation (drawings,

photos, notes)

o Interdepartmental review process

o Preparing for installation

● Traffic, Parking & Transportation

o Contractor parking permits

o Coordinating and overseeing installation

● Department of Public Works

o Maintenance

o Snow removal

Interdepartmental Review Team

● Environmental & Transportation

Planning

● Department of Public Works

● Traffic, Parking & Transportation

Dept

● Cambridge Police Department

● Cambridge Fire Department

● Historical Commission

● Economic Development

● School Department (if racks

located at schools)

Surveying a Site

Siting Details

● Mindful of: Loading

zones, ADA

requirements, bus

stops, curb ramps,

handicap spaces,

sidewalk width,

pedestrian traffic, fire

hydrants, proximity to

physical objects,

building entrances,

stairs, manhole covers,

benches, overcrowding

of bikes

Common Design Exceptions

● Sidewalk not wide enough

(ADA - 4’ walkway)

● Too close to physical

object (ex. lamp post)

● Inside loading zone,

disability space or bus stop

● Rack spacing closer than

recommended (36”)

● Too close to fire hydrant

Installation Process

● Trained contractor to follow

Cambridge best practices

● Round installations (50/day)

● Coordination with school

startings, police, business

openings

● Promotion on social media

● New racks inputted into GIS

maps

Demand Surveys

Utilization Studies

● Central, Harvard, Kendall, Inman

Squares

Business District Planning

Ask Jeff for HSQ & Central SQ plans

● Work with local business

associations

● Short-term & Long-term

parking

● Sidewalk “pocket” spaces

● Long range planning: Harvard

Square, Central Square, &

Kendall Square

DowntownDC Business

Improvement District

(BID)

Bicycle Parking Planning in Downtown Washington, DC

What is a BID?

● Non-profit

● Funded by

assessment paid by

property owners

● Supplements city

services

DowntownDC BID

● Investments in bicycle infrastructure over

last decade

● Increase in demand from development &

population growth

DC Bicycling Context

DowntownDC BID’s Bike Program Areas

● DDOT is a young organization

o DDOT formed in 2002

o BID formed in 1997

● What is easy for DDOT to

provide and what is easy for the

BID to provide?

DDOT Bike Parking Partnership

Bike Parking Roles & Responsibilities

DDOT gets a

rack request Sent to

Downtown BID

BID does

planning,

outreach &

siting

BID or DDOT

purchases rack

BID installs

rack

BID adds rack

to GIS

inventory

BID shares GIS

with DDOT

● Previously installing 30-50 racks

per year

● Given increase in demand,

needed a holistic approach to

bike parking

Bike Parking Plan

Bike Parking Plan

● Prior to 2013,

there were

about 500 racks

in the BID

● Goal of doubling

capacity: 1000

racks over 144

blocks

Outreach

● What’s in it for them?

o Commercial properties

o Tenants

o Retail

o Hotels

Stakeholder Interests

● Year 1: 145 installed in 2013

● Year 2: 185 in 2014

● Year 3: 100 in 2015 (proposed)

Status of Plan Implementation

Future of Bike Parking in Downtown

Dero Bike Rack Company

in Washington DC

Bicycle Parking Planning in Washington, DC Metro Area

Local Coordination in Washington, DC

● DDOT, BIDs focus

primarily on exterior

and public spaces

● Dero focus primarily on

interior rooms, private

spaces & new

developments

● Joint cooperation

covers current bike

parking spectrum in DC

● Communication

Determining the Goals of the Project

● Maximizing allocated

space

● Meeting local regulations

● LEED target

● Architect or Property

Manager requests

● Anything will help!

Space Use - Horizontal Parking Space Use - Vertical Parking

Choosing the Right Site

● Meeting product

setback requirements

● Maintaining accessibility

needs and aisle spacing

● Proximity to building

entrance and likely path

of cyclists

● Signage if not in

obvious location

● User type (public vs.

private)

Choosing the Right Products

● Dependent on goals

● Expected user-type

● Budget

● Satisfying a

requirement

● Creating an amenity

Site Visit & Layout

● In-person discussion of

site and product

options

● Customized AutoCAD

layouts based on space

● Designed to meet local

requirements

Designing Bike Rooms

● More than just

functional bike parking

● Artwork, lockers,

showers, benches,

local trail maps, space

to hold bicycle repair

workshops, water

station

● Creating an amenity for

car-free tenants

Bike Room Examples

Custom Racks

Looking ahead in Washington DC

● Car ownership

declining &

bicycling rising

● Parking policies

and zoning regs

changing

● Parklets

● More public

space activities

Future of Bike Parking

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

10,000 Bike Parking Spaces - 17,000 by 2020

Population 800,000

Thanks!

Jeffrey Rosenblum -

rosenblum.jeff@gmail.com

Megan Kanagy -

megan@downtowndc.org

Daniel Clark -

daniel@dero.com