Bike Parking Guidelines

When it comes to bicycle parking, the small details matter! Getting these wrong can mean the difference between secure and convenient parking for all bicycle and mobility aid styles and parking that is completely unusable. The guidelines shown here and taken from the Boston Transportation Department's' Bike Parking Guidelines-- they have years of experience fine-tuning these guidelines and there's no need to re-invent the wheel.

The most critical components to getting bike parking correct are:

1. Rack style: post and ring style strongly preferred, but other styles such as "inverted U" may still satisfy all criteria

2. Rack spacing/clearance: minimum 3' free clearance to all obstructions, including walls, buildings, curbs, pedestrian ways, or additional bike racks

3. Rack placement: racks should be placed within 50' of building entrances on firm and level ground, easily visible to users, and ideally covered from the weather (building overhang or dedicated awning)

Deciding on the number of bike racks provided is best left to local zoning rules and judgement call. That said, it is inappropriate to use a lack of bicyclists at a destination as a justification for providing NO bike parking. Along with safe and comfortable routes to get to a destination, convenient and secure bike parking is a major obstacle for people who want to take trips by bike.