Want To Encourage Bicycle Commuting? Build Parking

A lack of decent parking is the biggest reason more people don't bike to work. Several American cities are now trying to deal with the issue by adding more parking for bicyclists.

1 minute read

August 19, 2009, 9:00 AM PDT

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera


"Surveys have shown that the leading deterrent to potential bicycle commuters is lack of a safe, secure parking spot on the other end."

"As the share of trips made by bicycle has grown in recent years...new attention is being paid to what happens to those bicycles when they are not in motion."

"Philadelphia, for example, recently amended its zoning requirements to mandate that certain new developments provide bicycle parking; Pittsburgh's planning department is weighing requiring one bicycle parking space for every 20,000 square feet of development (admittedly modest compared with the not-uncommon car equation of one parking space per 250 square feet); even the car-centric enclave of Orange County, Calif., is getting in on the act, with Santa Ana's City Council unanimously passing a bill requiring proportional bicycle parking when car parking is provided."

Monday, August 17, 2009 in Slate Magazine

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