Bike racks on street allowance

Guidelines & general requirements

Please familiarize yourself with all of the requirements below. Please also note that while any current model of bike rack manufactured by any of the suppliers listed on the city's website will generally satisfy all of the design criteria, it is your responsibility to ensure that this is indeed the case. These guidelines are also attached to your application form ( Word 62kb).

Location

1. The rack is not to be located on street allowance if there is a suitable off-street space nearby.
2. The rack must leave at least 6 feet of clearance for pedestrians, and not interfere or impede their path including those of the visually and physically disabled.
3. In general, racks must not be placed in restricted areas such as fire zones, loading zones, bus zones, taxi zones etc., or in conflict with other street furniture.
4. Racks should generally be placed adjacent to the curb in the utility strip used for other street furniture, and should be 2 feet back from the face of the curb.
5. Racks placed along the curb in car parking zones must be done so that they avoid expected car door locations.
6. The rack must be installed so that bikes are parked parallel to the curb.
7. The rack must be bolted down into the sidewalk or footings.

Design

1. Racks should be highly visible with good target value to pedestrians and motorists, i.e. sufficient bulk and height (suggested minimum height is 30 inches or 76 cm).
2. The bike rack should be easily identified as a bike rack.
3. Bike rack design must ensure that bikes are held in a stable and upright position, i.e. a 2 point support system.
4. No "wheel bender" designs.
5. No trips or hazardous projections along the expected pedestrian direction of travel.
6. No sharp edges or projections where clothing etc. could be caught.
7. Materials and powdercoat that will resist rusting, corrosion, vandalism, chips etc.
8. The bike rack color must be consistent with the street furniture color for the area in which it is installed.

Miscellaneous

1. Owners are to take on maintenance of bike racks which they install.
2. Racks must be made available to the general public for bike parking, and cannot be placed for the exclusive use of patrons of the purchasing establishment.
3. The racks may not display any advertisements, nor can they be used to hold merchandise (i.e. bikes for sale or rent).
4. The City Engineer may choose to impose additional restrictions promoting the safety and advisability of the design and placement of a bike rack on City property.

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