Bicycle Parking in Commercial Areas        

Bicycle parking in commercial areas is used mostly by shoppers for brief durations of time, but also by business employees for longer durations. Security is very important to both types of users, but convenience is a priority to short-term shoppers while shelter from precipitation is a priority to long-term users.  General guidelines for bicycle parking in commercial areas are as follows:

Below are photos of secure, simple, compact, inexpensive Class II bike racks that accept both U-locks and cables. These racks are easy to fit into commercial areas near building entrances with minimal impact on pedestrian space.

Figure 1: This single, inverted-hoop bike rack is compact, relatively inexpensive, and accommodates two bicycles.

Figure 2: Single-hoop racks are easy to incorporate into sidewalk spaces where little space is available, and may be distributed throughout shopping centers near building entrances. Bicycles may be locked to hoop racks by a variety of means in a variety of orientations.

Bike racks may be colored to blend in with the other street furniture. Non-scratch and chip-proof coatings are available to protect the appearance of the rack and the bicycle. Bicycle racks can also be built into creative shapes to double as public art.

Parking meters that are securely mounted in the ground work well with standard-size U-locks. U-locks are designed to provide an opening smaller than the head of a parking meter. In order to accommodate cable locks, one or more additional loops may be welded onto the meter pole as illustrated in Figure 3. This provides better bike parking without adding to street clutter.

Figure 3: With one or more loops added, a U-lock friendly parking meter can also accommodate cable locks.

Note that some shopping centers have unfair policies prohibiting bicycles on their property, and are posted with signs to that effect. Read more about "NO Bicycles" signs here.

More information on bicycle parking can be found at

http://www.apbp.org/pdfs/bikepark.pdf

http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/Bicycles/parkguide.htm