Bicycle Parking
Bicycle parking is critical because many people’s decision to bicycle is affected by security concerns for their property. The bicycle is a viable means of transportation when physical accommodations ensure that people’s trips are safe and convenient and that their property is secure. Every bicycle trip includes the route of travel and the facilities at the destination.
In addition to bicycle racks, lockers, cages, and bike stations, restrooms, showers, and storage lockers for personal items are a key incentive for people with longer commutes who can turn their ride into a daily workout and still dress for the office. Such facilities may be required by Oakland’s Bicycle Parking Ordinance part of new development and major remodels.
- Completed Bicycle Parking
- Oakland Bicycle Facility Design Guidelines
- Report Abandoned Bikes
- Bicycle parking Do’s and Don’ts
- CityRacks Bicycle Parking Program
- Bicycle Parking Ordinance
- Bicycle parking resources for private and public development
CityRacks Bicycle Parking Program
Anyone can request a free rack be placed on public property. To submit your request:
- use the Online Request Form; or
- download a CityRacks Authorization Form, (English, 533 kb | Spanish, 348 kb | Chinese, 838 kb | Vietnamese, 598 kb), complete (requires business or property owner's signature greatly streamlining process), put in envelope, and mail to the address listed (or fax to: 510-238-6412); or
- contact City staff at 510-238-3983 or bikeped@oaklandnet.com to suggest a location.
Sites must leave clearance for pedestrian right-of-way. Please consult the Please consult the Oakland Bicycle Parking Rack Guidelines for rack and site specifications. Call 510-238-3983 or email bikeped@oaklandnet.com with questions or for more information.
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Completed Bicycle Parking
Since 1999, the City of Oakland's CityRacks Bicycle Parking Program has installed almost 1,400 bicycle parking racks and lockers accommodating over 3,100 bicycles in commercial districts throughout the city. Racks and lockers have been funded by the Transportation Fund for Clean Air, Alameda County Congestion Management Agency, TDA Article 3 bike/ped funds, and Alameda County's Measure B ½-cent sales tax for transportation.
New racks installed to replace old meter poles
As of December 2009, the Transportation Services Division installed 398 new bike parking racks--most of them in Oakland's main commercial districts--accommodating 850 bikes, Many of the racks were installed to compensate for a Finance and Management Agency (FMA) project that replaced over 4,400 on-street parking meters with "pay and display" parking kiosks in 2008. Racks were installed in the Dimond, Fruitvale-International, Rockridge, Piedmont Ave, Grand Lake, Old Oakland, Montclair, Pill Hill/Central, Chinatown, Uptown, and Downtown areas of Oakland.
The old meter poles that were left in place as an interim solution to the meter removal problem can now be removed by the FMA.
Did we miss a spot? Please submit your bicycle rack location suggestions to bikeped@oaklandnet.com or complete our Online Bike Rack Request Form.
Downtown bicycle eLockers
Sixteen electronic bike lockers ("eLockers") are available for use by the public in downtown, and are situated to serve patrons of Oakland's two downtown BART stations (12th and 19th Street). One set of eight eLockers is in Frank Ogawa Plaza at the northwest corner of Broadway and 14th St, and the other set is at the northeast corner of 20th St and Broadway. The eLockers were installed in 2007 and funded by a grant from the Transportation Fund for Clean Air, augmented by Alameda County Measure B funds. Renting an eLocker costs $0.05/hour, and the first five hours of each rental are free: therefore, an eight-hour rental costs just 15 cents and many rentals will cost nothing at all.
To purchase a BikeLink card, needed to use the lockers, go to:
- www.bikelink.org for online sales (including adding value to your BikeLink card), or
- the AC Transit Ticket Office, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, between 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday-Friday
Other info:
- Download brochure (.pdf, 1.3mb).
- Watch a short video from Streetsblog in New York that highlights Oakland's eLockers.
Why eLockers?
Unlike conventional lockers that are rented by the year to one person only, eLockers can be used by any cyclist with a Bike Link card. This wallet-sized card will be pre-purchased like a BART ticket and used to access any unoccupied locker; bike parking costs just pennies a day. An innovative and secure locking technology coupled with the Bike Link card allows for locker access by multiple consecutive users, an improvement over conventional which remain empty much of the time (an unintended consequence of annual rental agreements). The eLockers have been installed throughout the Bay Area and beyond (with nearly 200 installed throughout the BART system in late 2008). For more information, including videos demonstrating how to use the eLockers, go to www.bikelink.org.
Fruitvale Bike Station
The attended bicycle parking facility, aka "bike station," at the Fruitvale BART transit village, has been open for business since November 2004. The bike station (located just to the left of the Caesar Chavez Plaza entrance, within a hundred feet of the northeast BART exit) is staffed by an attendant and boasts a full service repair station. Operated by Alameda Bicycle, the facility is open M-F 6am-8pm. Website: www.alamedabicycle.com/station_fruitvale.html.
The project was a partnership between the City of Oakland, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the Fruitvale Development Corporation. Oakland secured $400,000 from Caltrans' Bicycle Transportation Account for capital improvement funding, managed the contract with Fruitvale Development Corporation (the construction manager), and provided construction oversight. BART secured $400,000 of Bay Area Air Quality Management District funding for additional capital improvement costs and operational expenses for the facility.
Bicycle Parking Ordinance
On July 15, 2008, the Oakland City Council adopted an ordinance that requires bicycle parking in certain types of development. A bicycle parking ordinance will result in the provision of end-of-trip facilities integral to making bicycling a viable form of transportation. The ordinance addresses bicycle racks, lockers, cages and showers, and how these facilities will be included in future development. Also included is a requirement for attended bicycle parking at public events with over 5,000 attendees.
Download .pdfs:
- Bicycle Parking Ordinance Overview
- Oakland Planning Code (version current as of July 2008; the bicycle parking section begins on page 439, and the ordinance's provisions are referenced throughout)
- Bicycle Parking Ordinance (Chapter 17.117 of the Oakland Planning Code, stand-alone document)
- Staff report with recommendations/rationale
Bicycle parking resources for private and public development
The City of Oakland encourages both private and public developers to provide bicycle parking facilities to supplement the City's grant-funded efforts.
- To install racks on public property, private property owners must apply for a minor encroachment permit. The total cost including application and other fees is $119.92. Download information packet.
- To install racks on private property, a permit may be required depending on the type of installation. Contact the CEDA--Permit Center for more information.
- A list of bicycle parking rack and locker vendors is available here.
The City of Oakland’s Bicycle Parking Rack Guidelines can assist developers and property owners with managing available space efficiently and selecting user-friendly rack designs to provide a high quality installation. When property owners install bicycle racks in the public right-of-way, they can select any rack type that conforms to the these design guidelines.
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities Program offers resources and technical assistance with rack specifications and placement. Please call (510) 238-3983 or email bikeped@oaklandnet.com with questions or for more information.