A bike parking rack map created by the city of Bosto
There's nothing more frustrating than planning a bike trip in a city for a day, finding some great locations to stop and then not finding a bike parking rack to secure your bike.
There's a solution for this - a bike map.
More and more American cities and towns are working hard to become more bicycle friendly. They are creating bike lanes, adding a bike parking rack to more locations and educating their citizens on everything from how to ride safely to how to lock their bikes correctly.
One very smart strategy is to create a bike map for a city or town. This gives bicyclists a clear path to a bike friendly day or commute.
For politicians and public officials, adopting a more bike friendly stance is smart. According to Statista, in the spring of 2014 there were 67.33 million Americans who reported they rode their bicycle in the past 12 months. That's nearly a quarter of the population - almost one out of four people.
That trend continues to ride uphill. In the spring of 2008, there were only 47.16 million riders who bicycled in the past year. In just four years, 20 million people became more avid bike riders.
Colleges and universities get the bike map concept. They've been doing it for years. Because car parking is always sparse, the schools do what they can to encourage biking to class. That includes providing maps showing where to find bike racks on campus.
Many cities and towns get the concept, but don't go all the way. For example, they don't include locations of bicycle racks. What good is biking to a cool landmark if you can't park your bike and walk around?
The city of Boston gets it. On their bike map, which is available for free, they provide an icon designating each bike parking rack in the area.
The advantages of showing the location of a bike parking rack
There are so many benefits to listing bike amenities. As we said, the location of a bike parking rack makes it easier for bicyclists to map out their routes and plan where they might want to stop. This permits them to lock up their bikes in a correct manner as opposed to a tree or a street sign. When you are riding around on a $500 to $1000 bike, the security of that bike is going to be a major concern. Especially with the number of bike thefts now taking place around the country.
And guess what else, it's great for pedestrians when bicyclists find an adequate bike parking rack. Because the pedestrians won't have to walk around bikes slapped to signs or trees or benches or whatever else people can find.
Third, showing the location of a bike parking rack makes good senses (literally) for the local business community. Businesses that take the time to offer commercial bike racks should also be rewarded. What better way to attract people to your business than to provide a place for them to stop and lock their bikes? Or what better way to promote a downtown area than to let people know there are plenty of bike racks and where they are located.
Wave bike parking rac
Boston has a bicyclist mindset. In the past four years, the city has installed nearly 3,000 bicycle parking spaces. They add about 250 new bike racks every year. Since former Mayor Thomas Menino launched the "Boston Bikes" initiative in 2007 to make Boston a "world-class bicycling city," ridership in the city has doubled.
That's a lot of happy bicyclists. That's a lot of happy voters. Not surprisingly, Menino was elected the mayor of Boston for FIVE terms. In some of the contests, he captured more than 70% of the vote. Once he ran unopposed.
Governing Magazine named him public "Official of the Year" for his work in developing neighborhoods in Boston - and making them usable by bicyclists.
There's a lesson here. Becoming a bike friendly city pays off. Fostering the use of bikes reduces the use of cars and congestion, makes for a greener, less polluted city, and helps promote the health and well-being of its residents.
If a municipality claims to be a bike friendly city, go all the way. Do it right. When you add bike amenities, be sure to create a bike map to show where they are located and ensure that people use them. Include the locations of landmarks and a bike parking rack nearby. A map is just a simple piece of paper or pdf download. But when it comes to supporting bicyclists in a community, it certainly has wheels.
To see the Boston map with the locations of each bike parking rack.