Webinar Recap: Two Hours Or More, Long-term Bike Parking For Sure

Thursday, September 9th the League co-hosted a webinar with bike parking experts from our partners at Dero to help guide those interested in providing long-term bike parking solutions for their business, university, or community. Many bicyclists can agree that when places provide secure and comfortable long-term bike parking (anything more than 2 hours), it shows thought was put into considering those who make more trips by bike. When planning for top-tier bike parking, think safe, easy to use, comfortable and secure. 

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?)

It also helps to think beyond having “just” a good bike rack when it comes to long-term bike parking. During the webinar, experts at Dero suggested thinking about end-of-trip facilities, education around bicycling, building bike culture, and ensuring accessibility. In other words, going the extra mile so people on bikes don’t have to go far to find safe parking.

Other topics covered during the webinar included:

• Horizontal vs. vertical parking specifications
• Benefits of lockers/shelter parking 
• Site considerations i.e parking near the building entrance
• Do’s and don’ts for bike parking installation surfaces 
• Great things to have in your bike parking space

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.

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!