Webinar Recap: Short-Term Bike Parking and The Law of Attraction

In September, the League co-hosted a Long-Term Bike Parking webinar with bike parking experts from our partners at Dero to provide businesses, universities and communities with long-term bike parking solutions. On November 16th, we teamed up with Dero once again to discuss the most pertinent features and specific considerations for short-term bike parking — parking perfect for those using their bike to run errands, shop, or grab dinner. 

Places that want to be more welcoming to those who make more trips by bike should put thought into bike parking that meets the needs of the bicyclists utilizing their space, whether it be long-term (anything more than 2 hours) or short-term (anything less than 2 hrs). If you really want to be the cream of the crop when it comes to bike parking in your community, you should go beyond a simple bike rack — think highly functional.

What Makes a Good Bike Rack? 

1. Stability: an anchored bike rack can make your bike parking more secure 

2. Two Points of Contact: making sure there are two points of contact with the bike provides more security opportunities

3. Ease of Use: bike parking should be as hassle-free as possible and should consider the needs of all users (is it ADA compliant?)

Many bike racks can endure a lonely fate when consideration isn’t taken into who they will serve. Matching the right bike rack to the right location attracts bikes. When selecting a site consider how convenient and close in proximity to your destination your bike parking is. Ease of use is especially important for short-term bike parkers with no time to spare and can often make the difference between choosing to park their bike elsewhere or opting to forgo visiting your destination at all. 

During the webinar, experts at Dero also suggested adding amenities to take your short-term bike parking to the next level. Amenities like a bike repair station, lighting and signage show that your bike parking is more than just pure utility, but a place where bicyclists can feel safe and welcome parking their bikes. Even adding a little paint or custom artwork to your racks can go a long way!

Other topics covered during the webinar included:

• Selecting the best location that is convenient, accessible, and welcoming to anyone arriving by bike
• Installation/mounting options (permanent vs flexible)
• ADA considerations 
• How to increase security for short-term bike parking
• Bike racks that accommodate a high volume of bicyclists at short periods of time 
• Adding open-access bike parking to parking garages
• Adding bike parking information to your community, campus or company’s visitor website 
• How to accommodate different types of bikes and audiences at your location

Remember: Businesses, universities, and communities are all built differently and don’t have the same capacity or needs when it comes to bike parking. That’s why we emphasize “meeting people where they are” by providing tips and feedback on bike parking that fit the needs of that space or place. Bike parking is an essential part of becoming a BFB, BFU, or BFC so we encourage seeking as much guidance as possible. In addition to Dero’s excellent bike parking guide, we refer BFA applicants to APBP’s Essentials of Bicycle Parking as the gold standard for high-quality bike parking. 

Watch the webinar recording or download slides of the presentation for more insight, and see our BFA Resources page for more related links and resources!