Bike to Work Day has two important goals: experience and awareness.
First, it provides the opportunity for everyone to experience a bike commute. The celebratory and ceremonial rides provide the extra nudge to park the car and tryout the bike. Each year, the number of bike commuters in the U.S. is increasing. This week we give credit to Bike to Work Day.
The second goal is awarness. Not everyone has the ability to get to work on a bike, or is able to park the car for good. However, whether you travel by bike or car, we all use the same roads and parking lots.
This year, I had to commute to a training session at our local community college on Bike to Work Day. On my arrival, I noticed something strange, and no, it was not just the empty bike racks.
This year I am focusing on awareness. I want to point out one of the most common blunders: bicycle parking. In this example, there are several errors. Here are my highlights, feel free to add more in the post comments:
- Location. If you want to encourage bicycling, then place the parking closest to the door. This also increases the security of the parking.
- Parking Space. Bicycles need a 6-8 foot by 2-4 foot of space for parking. Cars should not be able to encroach into the bicycle parking area, and bicycle parking should not block walkways.
- The dreaded S-Hoops. These racks have many names, but all have the same flaws. These loops do not provide adequate support for a bike or anchoring or locks. Generally you see bikes incorrectly locked parallel to the rack.
Please share any other observations I missed, or any photos of bicycle parking done right.
You hit it right on the head with your first one about bike parking location. Let’s face it, riding a bike is more effort than driving in most cases, so there has to be some “value add” for that effort. Being able to go right up close to the destination is the prime return.
Other value adds not in your image include not sitting in the same traffic as cars and being able to take more direct routes. In general if you force people on bikes to suffer all the inconveniences of being in a car AND needing to put out more effort, it’s no wonder more people do not do it.