Corrals & Swaps: New Ordinance Boosts Bicycle Parking
A new L.A. bicycle ordinance that amends the city's parking ordinance to require more bicycle parking plus provides incentives to increase bike parking beyond the minimums currently awaits Major Antonio Villaraigosa's signature. The City Council already passed a "negative declaration," which means that the final ordinance is free from CEQA or environmental review and that city staff should draft the law based on previously outlined principles by Planning Department Intern Rye Baerg.
“When you get on that bicycle, you want to feel the same comfort that someone in a car feels,” explained Bill Rosendahl, the Chair of the Transportation Committee and bicyclist, according to Streetsblog L.A. ”You want to know that when you park your bike is safe, and isn’t going to get vandalized.”
The measure calls for a swap of car parking for bicycle parking at commercial and residential developments. The current bicycle parking law applies only to developments over 10,000 square feet. Per the new law, within a commercial nonresidential project, up to 30% of auto parking can be swapped for bicycle parking. Residential projects in close proximity to major bus or transit stations can swap 15% of auto parking for bike options. We are loving this potential future use of space. As Streetsblog L.A. points out, the swap could be especially crucial for transit initiatives developing alongside the new train lines as a result of Measure R.
Additionally, the ordinance provides a mechanism to install more bike corrals to city streets. In related news, the city will receive funds from Metro's Call for Projects to help fund more bike corrals plus parking at Expo transit stations.
