Parking infrastructure that enables daily bicycle use
The lack of a safe place to leave a bicycle is one of the main factors that discourage its daily use. A person might live five minutes from work by bicycle and still take the car if they have nowhere to park it with certainty. Bicycle parking is not an accessory to cycling infrastructure: it is a necessary condition for it to function.
The proliferation of electric bicycles, cargo bicycles, and personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) has significantly broadened the diversity of vehicles that require parking solutions appropriate in dimensions, accessibility, and security. A solution designed for a conventional bicycle may be completely useless for a cargo bicycle or an electric scooter. And bicycle parking installed without location criteria or user experience can be as little used as if it didn’t exist.
How we work on parking plans and projects
At VAIC Mobility, a mobility consultancy, we draft plans and projects for secure parking for bicycles and PMVs both in public spaces and inside residential, commercial, public facilities, and transport hub buildings, prioritizing a high level of security and a good user experience.
The design of good bicycle parking is not a standard decision: it depends on the user profile, the predominant type of bicycle, the intended parking duration, the urban context, and security requirements. Residential parking has very different logic than a secure bicycle rack at a public transport interchange or a sports facility.
Need to design or improve bicycle parking facilities in your municipality or building?
We help you define a functional, safe solution adapted to the real needs of users.
Areas of application
Public space parking
We plan the network of bicycle parking in public spaces: the location of points based on real demand and main destinations, the type of racks (inverted U racks, wall anchors, double-height systems), the capacity needed to absorb present and future demand, and integration into urban planning projects without compromising pedestrian circulation or accessibility.
We also plan electric scooter parking and other VMP parking in public spaces, a growing need that many municipalities have not yet systematically resolved and which generates recurring conflicts on sidewalks and pedestrian areas.
Covered bicycle parking and repair stations
For nodes with higher demand such as train and metro stations, interchanges, university facilities, and large workplaces, we design high-capacity covered bicycle parking solutions: underground or semi-underground parking, covered modular structures with access control and surveillance systems.
These facilities can incorporate complementary services such as repair stations for bicycles, charging points for electric bicycles and scooters, individual lockers for folding bicycles, creating a complete experience that increases the appeal of public transport and cycling as primary modes of travel.
Parking inside buildings
Urban planning regulations increasingly require the incorporation of bicycle parking facilities in new constructions and renovations. However, a regulatory provision does not guarantee a functional solution: a poorly located space, with difficult access or without adequate charging infrastructure, does not fulfill its purpose.
We draft studies and projects for residential, tertiary, and public facilities buildings, defining the optimal location, the necessary dimensions for current vehicles including cargo bikes and large-sized bicycles, anchoring systems, lighting, ventilation, and electric charging infrastructure. Furthermore, once the improvements are made, we certify Bike-Friendly Buildings, to visualize this effort and better communicate the services offered to different user profiles.
Gender perspective and accessibility
A bike rack that does not feel secure is not used, and the perception of security is not the same for everyone. We incorporate gender perspective and universal accessibility criteria in the design of all parking areas: adequate lighting, visibility, ease of use for adapted bicycles, and barrier-free access for people with reduced mobility or users of large bicycles.
What does the study include?
The study or project can include everything from the planning of the parking network, the locations and sizing of the facilities, and the general management model, to the drafting of executive projects and valued reports, the quantification of measurements and the execution budget, and the specifications necessary for tendering its execution.
