Chapter 1.1
Climate Change

• ALL
• Remove Code Barriers
• Create Incentives
• Fill Regulatory Gaps

Bicycle Parking Minimums

INTRODUCTION

A large majority of local governments in the United States mandate that properties provide automobile parking to some extent for tenants, patrons, guests, and other users of buildings[1] (for SDC recommendations specifically addressing parking, see SDC Chapter 3.6). Prioritizing drivers in building design and construction has resulted in the perpetuation of automobile dependency, which by extension increases traffic deaths and injuries, pollution, and various other costs associated with driving.[2]  One solution to reduce those harms is to move towards more sustainable modes of transportation.

Many local governments set minimum standards for bicycle parking availability in new development, with the intention of providing additional support for bicycling as a mode of transportation.[3] Bicycle parking ordinances are often structured similarly to automobile parking requirements.[4] They typically consist of a table marking out various formulas for describing the parking requirements for a variety of different land uses.[5] Additional components can include spatial dimensions and security requirements, such as provisions for lighting and theft deterrence in order for bicycle parking facilities to be code-compliant.[6] Some local governments also allow property owners to substitute vehicular parking with parking for bicycles.[7] Furthermore, many of these ordinances are written with an explicit purpose of encouraging bicycling over driving as a method to reduce congestion and pollution while improving traffic safety.[8]

Additional design standards might also apply to racks to ensure convenient security and access to bicycles onto code-compliant racks.[9] A significant benefit arising from these measures is the potential to reduce bicycle theft, as the risk of theft is often cited as a source of apprehension among those who do not bike regularly.[10] A 2015 survey in Montreal suggests that bicycle theft can result in people reducing how much they cycle or ceasing entirely, by measures of 15.5 and 7.3 percent, respectively.[11]

In the past year,  the United States has seen the tripartite trends of increased bicycling since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, a corresponding increase in bicycle thefts,[12] as well as growing concerns about reliance on police enforcement to tackle the issue.[13] Addressing these concerns to create secure, guaranteed parking for bicycles is an effective engineering route towards making bicycling a more practical mode of transportation for general daily uses and commuting.

Figure 1, which is on file with the SDC (to view contact us at sustainablecitycode@gmail.com) shows sample short-term and long-term secure bicycle parking options from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals[14]. Compared to other forms, these options for bicycle parking are more intuitive to use, can accommodate a variety of bicycles and attachments without damaging either, and allows for either the bicycle to be completely secured or have both its frame and front wheel locked with a U-lock in order to prevent theft.[15].

EFFECTS

Providing ample and secure bicycle parking is a crucial component in the provision of infrastructure to encourage bicycling. Including parking as part of bicycle infrastructure takes the entire trip into account: secure long-term storage at home, safe paths on the road, and secure temporary storage at the destination.[16] Providing adequate bicycle parking also mitigates some of the externalities associated with a high number of bicycle commuters, such as damage to trees, street signs, and other street furniture from impromptu bicycle parking; clutter and blocked sidewalks from bicycles; and other nuisances from bicycles strewn around without adequate placement mechanisms.[17] There is ample evidence suggesting that attractive and secure bicycle parking helps increase the number of bicycle trips taken, while reducing automobile travel.[18] By making bicycle trips more convenient and secure, people are more likely to choose bicycling for daily trips and to treat the bicycle as a normal, practical mode of transportation rather than a specialty or tool for recreation.[19]

The impacts of increased bicycling are numerous. In the Netherlands, it has been estimated that the high rate of bicycling in the country (roughly around 26% of traffic, the highest rate globally) extends life expectancy by a year and a half due to physical activity.[20] Reductions in illness from bicycling in the country have also been estimated at 1.5 days of reduced illness among cycling workers, saving the Netherlands 27 million euros annually.[21]

The high number of cyclists on Dutch roads at any given time is considered to be a core component of cyclist safety in and of itself. Higher levels of bicycling mean reduced vehicle traffic, which is a major source of pollution and traffic fatalities, and also results in greater awareness of bicycles among drivers.[22] A key to the country’s high rate of cycling is the provision of “abundant bicycle parking facilities” throughout the country.[23]

Increased bicycling is also associated with reduced transportation emissions. The Dutch government estimated that every 7 km (4.35 mi.) traveled by bicycle instead of car reduces emissions by 1 kg. (2.2 lbs.) of CO₂, 1.5 g of nitrogen oxides, and 7 mg of particulate matter, while other research suggests that replacing a single car trip with bicycling can reduce an individual’s emissions by 67 percent when factoring in external inputs to automobile transportation (e.g. the costs of refining and transporting fuel to the end user).[24]

It is important to note that the construction of bicycling facilities in the Netherlands has been a decades-long project, and only began in the 1970s after years of auto-centric development.[25] The success of bicycling in the Netherlands is not the result of fate, but rather the result of intentional choices made by governments,[26] including the decision to invest in parking for bicycles. Even today, the country faces challenges in providing adequate bicycle parking at many commercial sites and transportation hubs.[27]

Ultimately, the intention of mandating parking minimums for bicycles is to counteract the preference long given to automobiles in public policy, through policies such as free on-street parking or mandatory parking minimums in private developments. Free parking has long been noted to act as a de facto subsidy for driving, where external costs (such as congestion, land usage, street maintenance, etc.) are not borne by drivers, but instead are imparted to all members of society, including those without cars, who tend to be disproportionately poorer than people with cars.[28] Mandating the provision of bicycle infrastructure such as parking instead prioritizes a mode of transportation that take up much less space, produce negligible carbon emissions, and are quieter, safer, more affordable, and healthier to operate compared to the cars which have been given preference on American streets for so long.

EXAMPLES

Davis, CA

Davis, California sets standards for bicycle parking for residential, commercial, industrial, and civic land uses based upon a combination of spaces per room, square footage, or percentage of maximum occupancy.[29] Generally, bicycle parking for residential dwellings is based upon spaces per bedroom.[30] Parking for commercial and industrial purposes is based upon spaces per unit of square footage, and standards for civil spaces are generally ten percent of maximum building occupancy.[31] Ratios of long-term versus short-term parking are also stated, with residential and industrial land uses generally required to provide more long-term parking compared to commercial or civic land uses.[32] For example, apartment buildings are required to have a minimum of one bicycle parking spot per bedroom, with 75% as long-term and 25% as short term parking; commercial retail spaces are required to have a minimum of one spot per 1,000 square feet, with 75% as short-term and 25% as long-term parking.[33] An absolute minimum of two bicycle parking spaces per site or tenant is set for all circumstances, aside from the downtown core, where the City has provided adequate parking for cyclists.[34] The Code provides means for exemptions where circumstances warrant, such as existing proximity to bicycle parking or where the sites conditions would be impracticable.[35]

To view the provision, see Davis, CA Municipal Code §§ 40.25A.040, 40.25A.070 (2013).

Madison, WI

Madison provides its parking standards for bicycles along with its standards for automobile parking.[36] The City aims to reduce both its “dependence on private automobiles” and “pollution and congestion that are associated with automobile use” by including bicycles in its parking standards.[37] A variety of formulas are used based on spaces per dwelling or bedroom for residential uses, spaces per employee, seating capacity, or square footage for civic, institutional, and commercial uses.[38] The Code requires a minimum of two bicycle parking spaces per site (defined as one two-sided rack) for nonresidential uses.[39] The City’s parking standards seek to “favor transit or other travel modes” besides automobiles. The provisions encourage “bicycle and pedestrian circulation” by “providing bicycle connections, adequate parking, and storage space for bicycles”.[40]

Generally, bicycle parking minimums set by Madison are equivalent to or more expansive than automobile parking minimums for the same land use. Furthermore, automobile parking is limited by set maximums, while no such restrictions exist for bicycle parking. For example, both automobile and bicycle off-street parking minimums are set at one per dwelling, but automobiles have a maximum of two parking spaces per dwelling, while bicycle parking has no set minimum at all.[41]

At least 90% of residential bicycle parking is designated as long-term parking, while at least 90% is designated as short-term parking for non-residential uses.[42] Long-term parking is required to be enclosed, secured, or supervised in order to protect bicycles from theft, vandalism, and weather.[43] Various design standards for bicycle parking, including the ability for a cable or U lock to attach to the front wheel, frame, and rack, must be met for parking to count towards the City minimum.[44] The City also allows landowners to substitute four bicycle parking spaces in addition to the minimum required for one required automobile parking spaces.[45]

To view the provision, see Madison, WI Code of Ordinances § 28.141 (2016).

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

Burlington, VT, Bicycle Parking Requirements, Burlington Comprehensive Development Ordinance § 8.2.5 (2017) (setting standards for new development, building expansions, or changes in occupancy where the zoning permit requires automobile parking).

Los Angeles, CA Ordinance No. 185480 (2018) (setting standards for required short-term and long-term bicycle parking minimums in residential, commercial, and institutional spaces, as well as design standards for code-compliant bicycle parking within the City).

Hartford, CT Zoning Regulations § 7.2.2 (2016) (setting short-term and long-term minimum bicycle parking requirements for a variety of residential and commercial uses, along with standards for bicycle parking design)

Minneapolis, MN Code of Ordinances § 541.320 (2021) (setting minimum bicycle parking requirements along with standards for accessibility and security, with exemptions for 1-3 family dwellings as well as non-residential spaces smaller than 1,000 square feet).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP), Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2^nd Edition (2010), https://perma.cc/TV62-GSL7.