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ADA Accessible Bike Parking

The standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are designed to ensure accessibility and safety for bicycle use in the larger public environment. The products, spacing, and layouts designed by Ground Control Systems are intended to help developers and planners comply with ADA standards.

The following is a quick guide to help those of you who are designing and/or allocating space for bike parking so that you can understand bike parking as it pertains to ADA Compliance and Accessibility.

Ordinance and Ada Requirements:

There is nothing in the US Access Board Code nor the ADA Design Standards speaking specifically to bike parking. It is only mentioned in regard to the continuous width for public access routes. The code states that bicycle racks, as with street furniture, “shall not reduce the required width of the pedestrian access route.” (4.0 ft)

These are the ways our bike parking systems help support the maintenance of access routes.

Continuous Access Routes:

Maintaining the continuous width of pedestrian access routes requires bicycle racks that enforce the placement and orientation of bicycles. Racks with parking docks such as the Varsity, or ‘inverted u’ racks with orientation correcting crossarms, like the Guardian, keep bikes from obscuring these spaces.

Safe Vertical Racks:

Vertical racks adjacent to access routes require a cane detection device surrounding the parking area to prevent injury of the vision-impaired. Offset series vertical racks, and therefore any detection piece, extend only 22” from the ground. Offset racks are accessible to a majority of users because they only require lifting bikes 1.5 ft (0.45 m) off the ground.

 

Spacing/Placement of Bike Rack:

Despite the lack of outlined provisions, when it comes to spacing, best practices apply. Our dynamic CAD blocks show the appropriate spacing for all types of bikes and user access. These CAD Blocks are downloadable on our website in our Download Centers.

 

Resources:

  • https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/streets-sidewalks/public-rights-of-way/background/revised-draft-guidelines/chapter-3
  • www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and-documents/2017/11/2203-20140930_buildingblocksfinal.pdf
    http://www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/pdfs/manual/Chapter8.pdf