In the recent announcement of federal funding for Hobart bicycle infrastructure was $100,000 for on-road bike parking stations.
These kinds of bike parking stations are visible in many cities around the world and make a statement about the space allocated to car parking, with some stations taking up one or more car parking bays.
One popular format is to have bicycle hoops attached to an outline of a car to show how many bikes can be parked in the space taken up by one car.
London has installed covered bike shelter hangars for use by residents, which neatly fit into a car space.
On-road bike parking can also be incorporated into on-street bike infrastructure, such as this example from Washington.
Recently, Dutch bicycle maker UNION employed a covered mobile bike parking station that neatly fits into a car space in its Bikers First campaign for more bike parking.
Also in The Netherlands, Rotterdam has 27 bicycle platforms that it places in car parks around the city. After 3-6 months the city decides whether bike parking should be permanently built in that locations and moves the platform on to a new site.
Good for business
A 2008 study in Lygon Street Melbourne found that while the average cyclist’s retail spending is only $16.20/hr compared to a car driver’s $27.00/hr, six bicycles can park in the space required for one car – therefore one car space equated to $27 per hour retail spending, while six bicycle spaces equate to $97.20 per hour.
Following the research, the City of Melbourne converted two car parking bays to bike parking to provide space for up to 24 bikes.
When the City of Melbourne surveyed businesses after the bike parking was in place, 72% said the bike parking had benefited their business and 63% wanted to see more of it.
Hobart sites
Two of the most utilised bike parking stations in Hobart are undercover: the Argyle Street hoops outside the Hobart Private Hospital and the hoops next to the State Library.
Because there are so few undercover sites around Hobart to park bikes, there may be demand for covered bike parking stations, similar to these bus shelter style New York parking stations.
Other sites which could do with some bike parking or more parking include Elizabeth Street mall, Hobart Town Hall, Collins Street, North Hobart, Bathurst Street and outside Teros in Elizabeth Street.