Bicycle Parking in the Capital City
Last week we had a post on the site about new off-street car parking requirements in Saint Paul. I thought that the city should have included minimum levels of bicycle parking in its updated planning codes – turns out they already are.
Donna Drummond and Kate Reilly, who are planners for St. Paul, wrote back and let us know about new bicycle parking requirements that will soon be before the City Council. The proposed changes are attached as PDFs, and certainly represent a step forward. The new code after the break
The new code includes:
“Off-street parking facilities shall provide a minimum of one (1) secure bicycle parking space for every twenty (20) motor vehicle parking spaces, disregarding fractional bicycle spaces. A minimum of one (1) secure bicycle parking space shall be provided for an off-street parking facility with twelve (12) or more motor vehicle parking spaces.”
While 1 out of 20 does not seem great, it will make a real difference going forward and is fully in-line with some of the more biker-friendly cities in the country. Capital City residents should let their city councilors know they support this important change in city code, which will slowly help make St. Paul a better place to get around by bike.
Contact the City Council today – click here.
Full text of the new code as well as a memo explaining the changes are bellow.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| PublicHearingMemo PC.pdf | 86.17 KB |
| Proposed Bicycle Parking Changes - Sec 63210.pdf | 68.23 KB |
Comments
5% cap
This is great. I also have been in discussions to see if we can get the 5% bike parking that replaces off-street raised as well. That would really be a huge benefit to the city.
"Substitution for required motor vehicle parking. A nonresidential use with more than ten thousand (10,000) square feet of land area dedicated to parking may substitute Bicycle parking may be substituted for a portion up to five (5) percent of its minimum off-street parking requirements not to exceed two (2) parking spaces. (c) For the purpose of calculating a permitted substitution, two (2) completely enclosed and secure bicycle lockers are the equivalent of one (1) parking space; five (5) four (4) spaces in a bicycle rack are the equivalent of one (1) parking space."