Bicycle Network: Good Design Guides

Port Phillip trials car-shaped bike rack

14 January 2012. A bright orange car-shaped bike rack has been installed in Bay Street, Port Melbourne as part of a trial to provide greater priority to bike riders and promote bike riding for local trips to shopping strips and precincts.

The bike rack provides ten bicycle spaces and temporarily replaces a car space in front of The Melbourne Bakehouse at 210 Bay Street, between Godfreys and Jaggers Closet shopfronts, and opposite Coles. 

Mayor Cr Amanda Stevens thanked the Port Melbourne Business Association (PMBA) for kick-starting the project which is helping to promote sustainable transport in the municipality.

“Well done to the PMBA for approaching Council with the concept of being the ‘bike hub’ for the City,” she said.

“As the volume of traffic grows, bike riding provides a more effective, environmentally friendly mode of travel that uses less of the limited road and parking space than a car. Bike riding also improves the health and wellbeing of riders as they travel to work, meet up with friends for a coffee or visit local shopping strip,” she said.

The affected traders agreed to the trial, provided Council removed the Loading Zone outside 224 Bay Street, Port Melbourne and reinstated two car parking bays with 1P restrictions.

If the six-month trial is successful, the location will be converted to permanent on-street bicycle parking. The St Kilda Library in Carlisle Street, St Kilda is also being considered as a possible location and traders across the municipality will also have the opportunity to express interest in trialling the car-shaped bicycle rack.

Election opportunity for candidates to show support

16 August 2012 Bicycle Network Victoria has identified bike corrals as a local council priority for the 2012 Local Government election. Candidates should be ready to support the development and full or partial funding of corrals and can tell riders in their Council area their position by posting their candidates' statement at VoteBike.

Maribyrnong installs first bike corral in the west

20 June 2012. The City of Maribyrnong has converted a single on-street car park to space for twelve bikes to encourage more visits to local shops.

The new installation at Ballarat Rd, Yarraville, allows people to securely park their bike and do their shopping or go to the Sun Theatre which is situated opposite.

If the trial of the bike parking is successful the council will consider making the trial a permanent feature.

Congratulations to Maribyrnong Council for recognising the value that people on bikes can bring to the economic prosperity of a shopping strip.

The Anaconda design used by  Maribrynong was developed by the Bike Parking Experts - www.bikeparking.com.au

Yarra Council seeks feedback on more parking

17 May 2012.  The City of Yarra is seeking community feedback on proposed parking outside Piedimonte's Supermarket in North Fitzroy. The proposal is for seven bicycle hoops that will cater for 14 bikes and would replace two car parking spaces. The design will also provide space for cargo bikes and bikes with panniers. 

Piedimonte’s is situated on St George's Road, a popular bike commuting route, and represents a convenient opportunity for people to combine a shopping trip with their ride home. Due to the popularity of the supermarket, it is often difficult for bike riders to find a park in the area. 

Providing bike parking in former car parking spaces will provide secure places to lock a bike and also alleviate congestion on the footpath outside the supermarket. It may even encourage more locals to do their shopping by bike.

If the proposal is supported by the community, The City of Yarra aim to install the bike parking in June 2012.

This artists impression shows a potential design for the bike parking outside Piedimonte's Supermarket, North Fitzroy.

Moreland parking spirals outward

3 November 2011. The bike parking corral phenomenon continues to spiral its way across Brunswick as more road space is converted to bike parking.

An additional five corrals have been added to streets in the city of Moreland, bringing the total to seven.

The venture has proved a major success with a high level of community acceptance and usage. The corrals hold about ten bikes.

Each of the corrals has been requested by neighbouring businesses in the expectation that on-street bike parking will increase economic activity in the vicinity of the corrals.

Some car parking space has been lost. The Council has attempted to preserve car parking so far, but is prepared to convert car parking to bike parking when required.

Although the corrals use the spiral bike racks that have not always been popular with riders, evaluation by Moreland has shown no problems with the predominantly short term use period.

The new corrals are at:

• Radical Grocer, Wilson Street Brunswick
• Brunswick Baths temporary entrance during renovations, Phoenix Street Brunswick
• Café Baba, 80 Lygon Street, E Brunswick
• Kitchen Kultcha Café, Blair St and Glenlyon Rd Brunswick
• Toby’s Estate Coffee, Charles and Weston Streets, Brunswick

The Council is still fine tuning the details of these pioneering installations.

More parking for Brunswick East

15 June 2011. Moreland City continues to expand its trial of on-road bike parking in local café precincts, with the latest addition at the Lygon / Piera Street intersection.

Adjacent to the ‘Small Block’ café, the installation again uses products from Bike Parking Experts. The trial is subject to further detailed design.

Nicholas Elliot, Moreland’s Transport Coordinator states that sites with high parking volumes (amongst other factors) are good candidates for such initiatives.

The feasibility of similar projects at other locations is being further investigated by local authorities so as to provide better parking solutions for our streetscapes.

Frankston trials bike parking

27 May 2011.  The City of Frankston has converted a single on-street car park to space for 10 bikes to encourage more visits to local shops.

The new installation on Wells St, the main shopping street in Frankston town centre, allows people to securely park their bike and do their shopping and go to the cinema opposite.

If the trial of the bike parking is successful the Council will consider offering the same treatment to any cafe who requests parking for more people outside their business.

Congratulations to Frankston Council for recognizing the value that people on bikes can add to the economic prosperity of the town.

Bikes OK at Brunswick Corral

7 April 2011. Another trial is underway where on-street car parking is being converted to bike parking with the aim of increasing customer numbers in local shopping precincts.

The latest initiative is in Victoria Street, Brunswick, where the City of Moreland has replaced a car single space with parking for eight bikes.

The trial, expected to last several months, is using a Bicycle Network Victoria parking rail usually utilized for event parking.

Should the trial be made permanent the space will be reconfigured with more rails.

The trend is set to catch on across Melbourne following example of Portland in the US, where the initial trials were such a success that there is now a long waiting list of businesses requesting the switch from car to bike parking outside their premises.

Visit /general/bike-parking/40489/ to find out about these types of rails.

Lygon Courts bikes - An on-street parking space for bikes generates five times the benefit of the same space for a car!

February 2009 Lygon St Carlton before and after.

An economic benefit study of the bicycle parking found that the economic benefit per square metre is $31 per hour for bikes vs $6 for cars.  Even though people on bikes may spend less per vist than those travelling by car, the economic benefit per parking space per hour is higher for bike parking as many more people can park their bike in the space required for one car. See the study.

	Before: Bikes locked to street furniture outside Nova Cinema on Lygon Street.
	During: The temporary kerb outstand holds parking for ten bikes in two car spaces. The permanent facility will accommodate twice as many. The temporary outstand proved popular and did not interfere with loading or access to the front of the shopping centre.
	After: It is half-price movie night at Nova Cinema and 47 bikes are parked on the kerb outstand - one week after completion.