Commercial Architecture July 2017 - 7

EDITOR'S

notebook

Walkability, Make Room For Bikeability

alkability is one of

resulting in separated and much safer

the linchpins of new

bike lanes. Several studies show that

urbanism. As you'll

these physically separated lanes notice-

learn in this month's lead feature,

ably increase bike use.

"Rediscovering The Urban Milieu,"

As numbers of bike riders increase

by senior editor Ken Betz (p. 10), just

throughout the country, there is more

about all of the architectural plan-

demand for bike-parking accommoda-

ning involved in the movement back

tions in buildings. As a result, archi-

to the city revolves around making

tects are looking for solutions, accord-

living, working, and shopping avail-

ing to the exhibitors I talked to.

able, as much as possible, within

"Nobody wants a pile of bikes outside

walking distances.

their building," as one put it.

Of course, that's not always practical. The assumption is that public
transportation will play a role in
shortening distances, but getting to
and from trains and busses still must

Gavin Brink, engineer, Bike ParkIndoor bike parking can use horizontal or vertical configurations. Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals guidelines are a good
place to start when designing a space. Amenities, such as lockers and
showers may also be welcome. Photo: Saris Cycling Group

be walkable.

ing Products, Sportworks Northwest
Inc., Woodinville, WA (sportworks.
com), shared some indoor bike-parking
guidelines in a blog post:
* Download the APBP (Association of

An alternative to public transportation and walkability, and

Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, apbp.org) guidelines, "Es-

one that hits a soft spot in my heart, is bikeability. That's because

sentials of Bike Parking: Selecting and Installing Bike Parking

I love riding my bikes. I'm a suburbanite, which gives me access to

that Works (2015)."

miles of lightly traveled country roads. While I have no plans to

* Determine whether your parking is going to be horizontal (on

test the waters of new urbanism, if you mention something to do

the ground) or vertical (hanging). Horizontal parking requires

with making things more accessible by bike, you'll have my full

a rectangular area of 24 x 72 in. for each bike. Vertical parking

attention.

requires an area 13 to 18 in. wide x 40 in. long. Be sure to check

Case in point, I noticed a notable increase in bike-parking ex-

local codes.

hibitors at this year's AIA show. There are always two or three man-

* Height for horizontal parking can be as low as 48 in. Vertical

ufacturers showing bike racks and other storage mechanisms, but,

parking can require heights as high as 103 in., depending on the

without counting, I estimate that the number doubled this year.
Why? More cities are building safe bike lanes and more people are
using them.

rack design.
* APBP recommends aisles 36 to 48-in. wide. Brink finds that 36
in. is sufficient for most racks.

Some cities are being "forced" into building safe bike lanes, i.e.,

* When laying out a room with bike racks, Brink suggests main-

doing more than simply painting stripes on pavement. This year

taining easy access to entry/exit doors and breaks in long spans

there were three examples of "guerrilla bike lanes," two of which

of racks to allow users convenient access.

resulted in "official" lanes. In Providence, RI; Omaha, NE; and

In addition to parking spaces, Brink said he is receiving in-

Wichita, KS; cyclists bought toilet plungers, wrapped reflective

creased requests for amenities such as on-ground ADA-accessible

tape on the handles, and placed them along the pavement stripe

bike parking, repair stands, pumps, accessory vending machines,

indicating a bike lane to provide a physical separation between

lockers, and showers.

autos and bikes. In Providence and Wichita, the city governments
soon thereafter replaced the plungers with permanent plastic poles,

The point? If new-urbanism projects are on your board, walking
is king, but don't forget to factor in the bikes. CA

Gary L. Parr
Editorial Director

commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

JULY 2017

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

http://www.apbp.org http://www.commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture July 2017