Bicycle Network: Teachers

Ride2School Bike Parking Survey - 150 schools ask for help

Bike Shelters

Australian Standards

Bike Parking Options

Campaigning for Bike Sheds

How to get improved infrastructure

Ride2School Bike Parking Survey - 150 schools ask for help

The Ride2School team has conducted a program-wide survey asking schools if a lack of bike parking was a crucial barrier to getting more students riding more often. So far 150 schools have indicated in no uncertain terms that it is.

If you are one of the schools that responded, thank you. We’ll be in touch shortly (if we haven’t been already) to come and talk about how we can work with your school community to fix what is clearly a critical issue.

When we come we’ll bring a bagful of best-practice thinking about bike parking: what’s the best solution for the number of riders you’ve got now and are planning to have, how to avoid making expensive mistakes, where parking should go, how much it will cost and how to go about raising those funds and, critically, how to make sure this facility is used by active kids, and used often.

Bike parking is an important investment and we want to help you get it right.

If you saw the survey but didn’t get time to respond, it’s never too late. Either click the link below to complete the survey or give us a call and tell us what’s happening with your school’s bike parking and we’ll be in touch.

Complete the Bike Shed Survey

In the meantime, we’ll keep everybody up-to-date with plenty of stories in Behind the Bike Shed about the schools we are working with to sort out what is a decisive factor in encouraging more children (and their parents) to feel comfortable about bringing bikes to school.

A full bike parking area is also a powerful way to publicise that bike and scooter riding - and by extension, healthy kids - are a priority at your school.

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Bike Shelters

Two rows of bike parking rails take up a width of around 5 metres. That's 1.7 metres for the first row, 1.5 metres for an internal access corridor and 1.7 metres for the second row. Make sure to design bike parking shelters or perimeter security with this in mind. Better yet, shoot your proposed plans through to the Bike Parking Experts and we'll be happy to comment and advise accordingly.

Cantaport bike arrival station

Click here to check out an artist's impression of a Cantaport bike arrival station

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Australian Standards

Does your bike parking comply with Australian Standards?

The Australian standards were produced in 1993. Is it time your school assesses if your bike parking facilities comply?

AS2890.3 Bicycle parking facilities
"Racks and stands which allow only one wheel to be locked to the device, or which support the bicycle by one wheel only, do not provide either proper support or security for the bicycle . They do not meet the requirements of any parking facility described in this Standard, and should not be used in new installations. It is recognised, however, that there are existing installations which do not meet these requirements. These should be replaced progressively, giving priority to installations where the security risk is the greatest." 

Many school bike parking facilites do not comply with Australian standards. Bike racks that only have the ability to lock the wheel to the rack do not meet the standards.

Bike parking facilites should allow both wheels and the frame to be secured to the bike parking rail.

If your school's parking facilities do not comply with the standards, or you are looking to introduce facilities at your school, call the Bike Parking Experts for advice. We have bike parking options to suit all schools.

Phone: 1300 727 563

Email: parking@bicyclenetwork.com.au

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Bike Parking Options

From a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, we have bike parking options to suit all schools.

Cantaport bike arrival station
Flat Tops & Anacondas

Download a copy of the bike parking options pyramid here.

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Campaigning for Bike Sheds

Campaigning for change doesn't have to take a lot of time, but it does require persistence and a strategic approach. The two key questions to ask are 'Who are the decision makers?' and 'What do they want to hear?'

Go to the top but also muster coalitions of support. You don't need to include a lot of information, sometimes these decision makers just need to be made aware of the problem.

Download the tips and suggestions for campaigning here.
 

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How to get improved infrastructure at your school

Write to your local council to let them know what infrastructure your school requires to get more students walking and riding more often. We have some resources that may help with your letter and case:

Tip Sheet: What to include in your letter to Council

Tip Sheet: What infrastructure could your school need and what gets covered by Local Councils
 

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