Providing safe and convenient bike parking for schools

Providing a safe and protected place for students and teachers to park their bicycles during the school day is important when encouraging bicycling through Safe Routes to School programs. Over the years, schools have been using racks that sometimes are inefficient, unusable, or poorly located on school grounds. New bike parking for schools designs and research on placement has greatly improved the success of bike parking at schools.

A well designed and built designated bike parking area shows students that their efforts are noticed and appreciated. Building and installing secure and sensible places for students to store their bicycles during school hours is one way to help get more students on their bikes more often.

Fortunately, you can find great resources to get started improving school bike parking facilities!

Safe Routes to School National Partnership Bike Parking Tip Sheet provides guidance and examples to districts, school staff, and parents to either build or improve school bicycle and skateboard parking and storage that accommodates students who choose to wheel their way to school.

The Eugene Springfield Safe Routes to School Program has developed a Bike Parking Count Sheet to assess bike parking facilities at one school or to compare and contrast the quantity and quality of bike parking facilities at different schools.

You can also read the full Eugene-Springfield Bike Parking Report, which has helpful information on one community’s efforts to provide bike parking.

Portland Public Schools Bike Shelter Project Development Guide,  a great how-to guide for getting approval for, designing and installing a Bike Shelter.

Check out the webinar, Striving for A+ Parking: Introducing a New Tool to Grade Your Schools Bike Parking below, brought to us by Shane McRhodes, Emma Newman and Isaac Meyer from Eugene and Springfield.

Striving for A+ Parking: Introducing a New Tool to Grade Your Schools Bike Parking from Oregon Safe Routes to School on Vimeo.