BICYCLE RESEARCH REPORT NO. 28

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1 BICYCLE RESEARCH REPORT NO. 28 September 1992 CYCLE AT REST by Sonja Hacker and Walter Kremp Some guidelines on cycle parking from North Rhine-Westphalia The Key Facts Contents Existing parking facilities for cycles are often inaccessible or unsuitable for their purpose. There is a need for user-friendly cycle parking both at home and at the cyclists destinations. In order to achieve this, local authorities need to organize local cycle parking programmes. Suitably-designed cycle parks are needed to reduce the incidence of theft and damage to cycles, to accommodate large numbers of machines in an orderly fashion, and to allow user-friendly cycle parking at home and at the cyclist s destination. Most of the present cycle parks do not fulfil these requirements. This is the message of a booklet from the German cycling association ADFC and commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development, Housing and Transport in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Front-wheel grips often turn out to be rim-benders, in many places cycles cannot be locked to any firm object, and parking equipment ordered of the peg is often an unsightly addition to the townscape. Cycle parks have to suit a variety of purposes (determined eg. by length of stay), users (such as children and the elderly) and types of machine - everything from folding bicycles to racers. They have to be near the cyclist s destination, stable, easily recognisable and accessible and should provide protection against theft and bad weather. The best solution for the home is a room at ground level near the entrance to the building. In detached houses or buildings housing several families a lockable room is usually sufficient, whilst in tower blocks the bicycle frame also needs to be secured. In some areas, such as densely populated town centres with old buildings, covered cycle parks at street level can provide lockable parking booths on sites already occupied by car parks. Where short-stay parking is required, cycle stands are usually sufficient, as long as they keep the bicycle stable and locked through its front wheel. Thief-proof parking spaces are necessary for long-stay parking.

2 More sophisticated cycle stands, costing up to DM 270 each, have various pros and cons. More expensive options include manned cycle parks like those at railway stations, and cycle lockers. It is recommended that each local authority set up a local cycle parking programmed for its own area, containing details of locations, requirements, size, technical equipment and a timetable. Statistical guidelines are given so that the extent of need can be established. Buildings with office space or doctors and dentists surgeries should have one parking space per 30 square metres of useable space; restaurants and venues for meetings need one space for every five seats they provide. Cycle parks and stands may be funded either publicly or privately. On private land the cost of cycle parks in houses and rented flats may be treated as taxdeductable as a necessary investment to maintain the rentability of the property. Public support includes grants from the regional government to local authorities, and the application of a law which already provides funding for park-and-ride facilities. In North Rhine-Westphalia between 70 and 90% of the costs can be covered by the regional government in this way. Booklet (in German) Addresses Ruhender Radverkehr - Vom Fahrradständer zur Fahrradabstellanlage by Sonja Hacker and Walter Kremp assisted by Klaus Hanel. Published by the North Rhine-Westphalian Institute for Urban and Rural Development Research, in the series Bausteine für die Planungspraxis In Nordrhein- Westfalen, 1st edition Dortmund 1990, ISBN X ADFC Nordrhein-Westfalen, Birkenstr. 48, W-Düsseldorf 1; Ministerium für Stadtentwicklung, Wohnen und Verkehr des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (MSWV), Breite Straße 31, W-Düsseldorf 1, tel. 0211/ There is a charge of DM 6 for material provided Bicycle Research Report No. 28, September

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