Whether you’re getting groceries, meeting friends to watch a Caps game, or commuting to work, there are key factors that are taken into consideration when deciding how to get there. One of the major factors that plays into this decision is parking—the availability, cost, and proximity to the final destination.
We often think about how we can make it easier for people to choose to get to their destination via active modes. One of the things that can be improved is parking. Parking is often a contested issue in cities where space is limited and expensive. Yet when people think of parking, all too often their immediate association is with the car.
How Arlington County Changes Parking
In Arlington, Virginia, we are trying to expand this word association to bike parking facilities. By improving the quantity and quality of accessible bike parking facilities, it will make it easier for people to take more trips by bike.
Arlington County has combined years of experience and compiled national best practices to create an updated Bicycle Parking Standards guide. This guide is intended to help architects, developers, construction contractors, property managers, and other stakeholders who are installing bike parking at their properties to make the journey from door to destination seamless for their employees, customers, and residents.
The Best of Bike Parking Around the World
An important part of getting people out of their cars is by providing world class bike parking facilities. One city in the Netherlands built the largest, state of the art bike parking facility in the world. The exceptional bike parking facility at Utrecht’s Central Station makes the journey from home to destination seamless. There are abundant and accessible bike parking facilities and over 40% of people arrive at train stations by bike. Building these facilities not only saves space, but encourages people to live healthy, sustainable lifestyles.
Make Changes Locally with Your Property
With the increase in bicycling and developments in the region, Arlington is striving to make it easier, faster, and more reliable to travel by walking, biking, or taking transit. The updated bike parking standards guide is a part of that puzzle that helps both developers working on new projects and managers looking to upgrade their properties to meet the rising demand for better and more abundant bike parking facilities.
The Bicycle Parking Standards guide is a go-to resource for current best practices and more detailed technical specifications to make the development and installation process easier. The guide also provides bike room plan examples and approved vendors for different types of bike racks. It can serve as a great starting point for developers and managers who don’t know where to begin when thinking about a new bike room.
If you’re looking to add bike facilities to your property or would you like to upgrade your bike room, you can work with us. Your property can receive a free bike parking facilities consultation from experts who know the new bike parking standards.
Photo Credit: Reema Desai/ReemaDesai.com for Arlington Transportation Partners
