Bike Parking
If you’re a bicyclist, you no doubt noticed the dearth of suitable bike parking in Pittsburgh. Bike Pittsburgh is doing everything we can to try to convince the City that it should embrace bike racks and provide them for the thousands of local bicyclists.
Downtown Parking
All of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority Garages have free sheltered bike racks, some even near an attendant. Click here to see a map of all of the garages.
Parking on the University Campuses
University of Pittsburgh - Information on parking on Pitt’s campus as well as how to get access to their Secure Bicycle Lockers.
Carnegie Mellon University Info on their bicycle policy and parking on campus as well as info on access to their secure bicycle lockers
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HELP GET MORE BIKE RACKS IN PITTSBURGH.
One way to help is to ask your employer. Employees are the best advocates and hold a lot of sway in getting racks at their workplace, not only for them, but for their customers. You can explain to your employer that a bike rack for employees provides more car parking for customers. Also, many employers have to provide car parking for their employees, which costs money, so providing secure bike parking will save them some cash (they like that). take action!
Click here to download the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professional’s bike rack design guidelines
Click Here to see a handy resource guide on bicycle parking for both indoor and outdoor parking. This is geared toward building owners, managers, and employers
There are many different types of bike racks out there, but here are the types we recommend:
How to Lock Your Bike
Bike Pittsburgh has received a number of emails lately from people who have had their bikes stolen. Getting your bike stolen causes severe sadness, stress, and irritability. Avoid these symptoms by following these do’s and don’ts:
DOs:
- Do use a U-lock, or NY-strength chain lock, or better yet, two types of locks
- If you keep your bike in your garage, do make sure it’s locked to something big and heavy, or attached to the inside of the garage itself. A lot of bikes are taken right out of people’s garages.
- Do lock to something secure, not something that can easily be taken apart, or kicked off like a wooden railing.
- Do secure your seatpost and remove any lights and pump/bags from your bike.
DON’Ts:
- Don’t lock your bike using only a cable lock unless you have one thick cable lock.
- Don’t lock to a chain link fence. The links can easily be cut.
- Don’t lock only your wheel, unless that’s the only part of your bike you want to keep.
- Don’t leave your bike unlocked on your porch. This is the number one “stolen-bike scenario” we hear.
- Don’t lock to a sign post or a parking meter without a sign or a parking meter head.
- Don’t leave your bike locked in one spot for a long period of time.
- Don’t lend your bike to a stranger even if he says he’ll bring it right back. This scenario played itself out right here in Pittsburgh recently.
- Don’t leave your bike unlocked “for only a minute” while you run into a store etc. It takes less than a minute to steal a bike.
- Try your best not to lock your bike to a tree, it can harm them. We know there are often times no other place to lock to in certain parts of town, but if you have to lock a block or two away it could save a tree. City of Pittsburgh, if you’re listening, please at least provide racks in these parts of town where there aren’t even meters to lock to.
How not to lock your bike:
