Bike Pittsburgh

Trees will be the real winners if City Council approves the Bicycle Parking Ordinance

NEW DATE ON MARCH 9, 2010 – Show your support!!

At long last, the City’s proposed bicycle parking ordinance, that would require all new and changed-use buildings to install secure bicycle parking, will see its day in Council Chambers. Councilman Doug Shields called a special Public Hearing on the subject where people can express why this is an important development for Pittsburgh, as it has been in other cities with similar ordinances.  This hearing was originally scheduled in early February, but due to the unprecedented snow, it was canceled and rescheduled for March 9.

A little history: In September, the Planning Commission unanimously passed the ordinance, and now it’s time for City Council’s vote before heading to the Mayor’s desk.  The Planning Commission’s vote garnered national press attention that presented Pittsburgh as a forward-thinking, green minded city.

We need you, the people that this will directly benefit, to show up in Council Chambers to show your support for this important ordinance. Feel free to bring your helmet in as well. We also encourage you to sign up to speak, details are below.

Unfortunately, this hearing was rescheduled at the same time as the 10th annual National Bike Summit in Washington DC – which means that all of BikePGH’s staff will be joining bike advocates from around the country to talk to our elected officials about livable streets issues.

Please take some time and show that there is a strong support for bicycling improvements in the City of Pittsburgh.  It’s so simple, yet so utterly important.

Event details

Public Hearing on Bike Parking Ordinance
3.9.2010
1:30 pm
City Council Chambers
5th Floor City-County Building

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you would like to speak at this event (which we encourage, especially if you are a developer), then you must call ahead to have your name placed on the speaker’s list. You need to call Linda Johnson-Wasler, City Clerk, at 412-255-2138 prior to the meeting.

If you can’t make it, please take a moment to email your council members.  We even made it really easy for you.  It’s the last chance to show your support!

What is the Bike Parking Ordinance?

Ever ridden to a shiny new building and had nowhere to lock your bike?

Of course you have. Basically, buildings are often erected or refurbished without any thought put in to where residents, employees and customers can safely park a bicycle. There are, however, lots of rules in the big zoning book that say how many automobile parking spaces must accompany buildings. The book also has a page for Bike Parking, however this page is currently blank. We’ve been working for the past two years with the Mayor’s Bike/Ped Coordinator, Steve Patchan and Senior Planner, Corey Layman to get this amendment written – similar to what other bike-friendly cities have.

The photo above is from Whole Foods in East Liberty, and shows what happens when bike parking is treated seriously and is incorporated into the design of a building, as opposed to an after-thought retrofit.

This ordinance is integral to continue on the road toward a green, sustainable, and active city.

What this proposed ordinance states is that anytime a new building is built, or there is a change or expansion in use, building owners must put in a bike parking, just like they need to for cars. There is also an incentive component to the ordinance, whereby a developer can replace up to 30% of their car parking requirement with bicycle parking, making it easier for them to meet the car parking requirement as well. The cost-savings for developers, especially the smaller ones, is huge. Symbolically it’s important because it is legislation that recognizes the bicycle as the serious mode of transportation that it is.

Every city that is serious about promoting this green, healthy transportation choice has already enacted similar ordinances. This simple, cost-saving measure has been a boon for cycling in these cities, as it will be in Pittsburgh as well.