I haven’t seen any scientific studies documenting how much bicycle parking is used at different kinds of developments (similar to Parking Generation for vehicles). Many city ordinances have requirements for how many bicycle parking spaces (racks or storage lockers) are needed for different kinds of developments. For instance, Minneapolis has very thorough requirements for bicycle parking in Section 541.180 of their municipal code. (Table 541-3 Bicycle Parking Requirements)
A quick reference for bicycle parking requirements can be found in the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Promoting Sustainable Transportation Through Site Design. Although no reference is given to back up these requirements, here are the minimum recommended bicycle parking supply standards from Table 3-2.
Minimum Number of Bicycle Parking Spaces per Land Use
- Primary or Secondary School. Â 10% of the number of students, plus 3% of the number of employees
- College or University. 6% of the number of students, plus 3% of the number of employees
- Commercial/Retail or Office. 1 space per 2,700 to 3,300 square feet
- Recreation Center. Â 10 to 20% of the design capacity of visitors plus employees
- Movie Theater or Restaurant. 5 to 10% of the number of seats plus employees
- Industrial. Â Â 5 to 10% of the number of employees
- Multi-unit Housing. Â 1 space per 1 to 2 apartments
I’d love to hear if anyone out there has bicycle parking requirements that are based on field collected data.
It was tragic that we haven’t seen any scientific studies documenting how much bicycle parking is used at different kinds of developments (similar to Parking Generation for vehicles). Many city ordinances have requirements for how many bicycle parking spaces (racks or storage lockers) are needed for different kinds of developments.
Carmel Indiana passed a new bicycle ordinance this year that I sponsored. I also serve on our planning commission. The original ordinance addressed not only short term but long term parking and showers. The long term parking and showers were to be required in new and remodel buildings 15,000 Sq ft or lager. I was not able to get support but reached a compromise. We made the long term parking just a guideline, but if meet auto parking could be reduced 5%. With the average space costing $20 – $60 thousand each this will be a good inducement. All large office buildings are all ready putting in showers as they build or upgrade as part of on site workout centers. All of our bicycle requirements, short term or long term, follow the American League of Bicyclists. Even in a bicycle friendly city there is a lot of pushback to bike parking by developers. The key is look at projects that will have areas for future expansion as cycling continues to grow