Can Bike Parking Be Better?

The Movement Bureau blog, which focuses on "rethinking how we move, not just due to factors such as congestion and environmental damage, but because there is scope to do it better" has an excellent post on how to make bike parking better (If Lincoln Cathedral is architecture, what is a bicycle shed?). I recommend reading the whole thing.

is there not something better to store and lock a bike up to than a sad metal hoop, concreted into the pavement?

The answer is yes. The Building Centre had an exhibit, and competition, to "redesign the bike shed" and the designs were downright cool. To some extent the competition focused on design and appearance, but there was also a focus on improving function, specifically two items 1) 100% theft-proof bike parking. 2) Complete protection from the elements.

'Hoops in the ground' take up very little space - but they don't provide any protection - from theft or the weather.

Of course the system should be reliable and easy too. Some of the ideas are cool, but probably unworkable, like placycle (pictured) which are floating inflatable pods tethered back to the ground by gas supply lines. The massed pods build up into a triffid-like assembly rising above the streetscape, the bike tree (different from this bike tree) or the HUB (which lifts bikes above the street with a conveyor belt). The most workable is probably the Clamp-On, which clamps a bike-locking hoop to existing lampposts.

I'd love to see the Building Museum host a similar exhibit for American cities, even if it were part of a larger "street furniture" display.

The coolest (and best) bike storage system mentioned in the article is the biceberg. It's being used in 5 locations in Spain. You roll up to an elevator sized structure(pictured) and open a space with a smart card. Your bike goes into a bike box (along with your helmet, shoes etc...) and then is lowered below ground into a rotating storage facility. When you want it back you swipe your card again and your box is brought up within 30 seconds. That's awesome. I wish there were some information on the costs. These facilities can park as many as 92 bikes. [The union station bike station will park 150 and cost $2 million - I wonder if this could be installed/operated for less].

A point the writer makes is that the biceburg could change bike rentals. You wouldn't need ugly, distinctive bikes to deter theft - because these stations would be theft proof. You could let bike renters ride glamorous $6,000 bikes if you wanted - much as zipcar lets you rent all the hip cars instead of just Honda civics.

Of course, such facilities as these should never preclude cyclists from being able to lock their bikes to inverted Us (IUs), street signs, parking meters, etc...It should just make for more security.

Speaking of IUs I've seen some poorly installed ones lately (no camera unfortunately). One was on 18th street NW just south of Mass. It was right up next to a street sign in such a way that you could only use one side of the IU and couldn't use the sign (without hanging your bike out into the street) so it took one parking space and turned it into one parking space. The other is at the Village at Shirlington in the alley off 28th Street South. Against the wall behind Johnny Rockets they installed two IUs. But they placed them up against the wall so that only one side is usable. Then they placed them head-to-toe (if you will) and so close together that if a bike is locked to one, using the other becomes almost impossible. Seriously, I should start a consulting business.

Comments

[Ken]

There may be two things going on with the badly installed IU bike racks.

One, when you let people who don't use something design it, you will probably get a disaster.

Two, these may be designed for failure, a very typical bureaucratic approach. Design it badly, and then when it fails they can say "Well, we tried, but there is no demand for this."

[Lee Watkins]

The worst experience I had with an IU rack in DC was in front of Ceiba Restaurant. My fiance and I arrived at the restaurant on bikes, for my dad's birthday, and we had reservations. The Valet staff had placed their valet sign literally on top of the IU, and they refused to let us lock our bikes to the IU because they would have to move their valet sign. We tried to reason with them, but it was no use. The valet staff told us that they "owned" the sidewalk where the IU was, so they get to decide if anyone is allowed to park their bikes there. Why would the valet people want to let people park their bikes?

DC actually has a PDF detailing their IU rack placement guidelines... however I agree that many of the IUs do not appear to be following the those guidelines. The guidelines clearly state that the IU has to be at least 3 feet from a sign pole. The minimum wall setback is 2 feet.

http://ddot.dc.gov/ddot/frames.asp?doc=/ddot/lib/ddot/information/bicycle/rack/bikerack_placementguidelines.pdf

I also noticed a while back that bicycle rack parking regulations provide a lot of requirements that aren't being followed by the parking lots in DC. For example I've never seen signs telling you where the bike parking rack is located. Ususally lots will have two IUs near the entrance, and a comb rack pushed up against the wall on the first parking level. Pushing the comb up against the wall eliminates half of the useful parking spots on the rack, and also appears to violate the regulation 2119.5 "An aisle five feet (5') in width shall be provided between rows of bicycle parking spaces and the perimeter of the area devoted to bicycle parking." The comb is clearaly intended to provide for a row of parked bikes, so then they are required to have a 5" perimeter for that row...

[Andi]

Hi, I have discovered a new sytem for parking and renting bicycles called bigloo. You can both park and rent bikes. You can see it in http://www.bacc.info/ciclotimes/contingut3.asp?cont=1387