Back in 2007, the Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act (page 11) created a requirement that residential building owners "provide secure bicycle parking spaces for all existing residential buildings with 8 or more units." But in order for that requirement to go into effect, DDOT needed to write regulations to guide that process. They first tried in 2012, but had to make changes to address the concerns of developers. Now they're ready to try again.
The regulations floated Friday, which the D.C. Department of Transportation expects to enact within 30 days, require “secure bicycle parking spaces for the storage of bicycles in operable condition.” Exempted properties include "elderly housing buildings," assisted-living facilities and nursing homes.
In existing buildings, the spaces — one for every three units — must be provided within 30 days after a written request is received from one or more tenants or property owners. The same amount of spaces must be incorporated into all new buildings.
The spaces (racks or lockers) should be inside the building, in a garage, or in another secure, covered space adjacent to the building. Where the bicycle room has solid walls, the entire room must be visible from the entry door and the room must be outfitted with a motion-activated security light, unless it is illuminated enough already.
The regulations set the minimum size for lockers and the minimum width for each space, in addition to a DDOT-led dispute mediation process.
Property owners will have the opportunity to request a waiver to provide fewer spaces, where parking spaces are not “physically practical” or where “undue economic hardship would result from strict compliance with the regulation.” Where there is no waiver, a violation of the rules will be a Class 4 civil infraction that could result in a $100 to $800 fine.
According to the DDOT’s rulemaking, the agency received some comments “that it felt conflicted with the goals” of the original regulations. It left alone, for example, rules that require covered parking, that determine interior parking locations (no lower than the first cellar level or the first complete below-ground parking level), and that allow for developer waivers.
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