Sheltered Bike Parking at the Main Library

Committee: Streetsmarts

Cost: $90,000

Location: At the Library entrance on Broadway

Short description: The Main Library needs more bicycle parking. A glass pavilion, protecting bikes from the weather, landscaped with paths and trees, will be an attractive and functional addition to the library grounds.

Long description:
The award-winning Main Library is visited by an average of more than 1,700 people every day, with numbers growing year after year. According to the City’s guidelines for bicycle parking, with over 100,000 square feet of floor space, the library should have 50 to 100 bicycle parking spaces. Currently, the number of bikes that can park within the mandated 150 feet from the entrance is no more than 30.

When the bike parking posts are full, cyclists are forced to lock their bikes to benches, lampposts, and other public structures, inconveniencing both cyclists and everyone visiting the park. Additional bike racks will clear the sidewalks and grounds for pedestrians, easing circulation and recreation.

The City is working hard to encourage cycling. More bicyclists on the road means more need for parking. A sheltered bike rack will make bicycling to this popular destination more attractive and more feasible.

The $90,000 cost estimate includes $35,000 for a shelter; $30,000 for shelter assembly and installation, including concrete pad and curb work; $5,000 for bike racks and installation; and $20,000 for new trees and landscaping work.

Photos/Images:

City Hall Annex bike shelter:

Main Library overflow:

Bench invasion: