Bicycle Parking
- CityRacks Bicycle Parking Program
- Online bicycle rack request form
- Oakland Bicycle Parking Rack Guidelines (September 2009)
- New racks installed to replace old meter poles
- Photos of Oakland bicycle racks
- Bicycle Parking Ordinance
- Bicycle parking at events
- Bicycle parking resources for private and public development
- Bicycle parking Do's and Don'ts
- Downtown bicycle eLockers
- Fruitvale BART Bikestation (attended parking for over 200 bikes!)
- Report Abandoned Bikes (links to Public Works Call Center)
CityRacks Bicycle Parking Program
Since 1999, the City of Oakland's CityRacks Bicycle Parking Program has installed over 1,300 bicycle parking racks and lockers accommodating over 3,000 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 1/2 sales tax for transportation.Anyone can request a free rack be placed on public property. To submit your request,
- (a) use the Online Request Form; or
- (b) 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
(c) contact City staff at 510-238-3983 or bikeped@oaklandnet.com to suggest a location.
Summary of Requirements
Sites must leave clear a minimum of 5½ feet clear for pedestrian right-of-way and cannot be installed in AC Transit bus red zones and other areas. Please consult the Oakland Bicycle Parking Rack Guidelines for rack and site specifications.
Please call 510-238-3983 or email bikeped@oaklandnet.com with questions or for more information.
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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 location suggestions to bikeped@oaklandnet.com or complete our Online Bike Rack Request Form. Note that racks cannot be installed in loading zones, near curb ramps, in cracked sidewalk, etc. Details: Bike Rack Placement Requirements (.pdf).
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Photos of Oakland bicycle racks
Click to enlarge any of the photos below showing bike racks installed in commercial districts citywide.
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 at events
Chapter 9.52 of the Oakland Municipal Code (OMC) requires that attended bicycle parking be provided at permitted public events with over 5,000 attendees, and for smaller events at the discretion of the Chief of Police. The promoter must advertise the service to potential attendees in all outreach and advertising materials and media, and place the bike parking area in an accessible location. Read requirements in the OMC.
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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.
Downtown bicycle eLockers
About the eLockers
Sixteen electronic bike lockers ("eLockers") are available for use by the public in downtown Oakland. Located next to Oakland's two downtown BART stations (12th and 19th Street Stations), the eLockers were made possible 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. See press release.
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.
Bicycle parking Do's and Don'ts
There are no guarantees of safety when parking your bicycle. Generally speaking, bicycle thieves are opportunists, looking for the easiest bicycles to steal. Following are some bike parking "do's" and "don'ts" that may make it less likely that a thief will select your bicycle, and which also help bicyclists "share the road" with pedestrians.
Do:
- Park in well lit open areas where many people pass by, your bicycle can be seen easily, and you can get to your bike quickly.
- Lock to a bike rack (if there is one available*) and park so that your bike doesn't block the sidewalk or curb ramps.
- Use a strong lock. U locks are popular and work well, but some U locks are stronger than others; make sure you buy a strong steel-alloy lock, and one without a cylindrical barrel. If you use a padlock or chain, links, cables, and lock clasps should be at least 3/8 of an inch thick and case-hardened.
- Use an additional lock or cable to secure wheels or other valuable parts such as seats.
- Consider locking skewers to secure wheels.
- Remove lights, pump, bags or other valuables from the bike.
- If a U-Lock is used:
- and it has a keyway on the end of the crossbar, position the lock with its keyway towards the ground. This makes it harder for a thief to access the lock.
- position the bicycle frame and wheels so that as much open space as possible within the U-portion of the lock is filled or taken up. This makes it more difficult for a thief to use tools to attack the lock.
Don't:
- Don't park so that your bicycle blocks a curb ramp.
- Don't park so that your bicycle blocks the sidewalk. (In most cases, this means parking parallel to the curb.)
- Don't park to a tree; not only is it insecure, it's also bad for the tree!
- Don't secure only the bike wheel (unless that's the part you want to keep.)
- Don't leave your bike locked in one spot for several days.
- Don't leave your bike unlocked "just for a minute" while you run into a shop. It takes less than a minute to steal a bike.
(Thanks to the Springfield, Illinois Police Department and Bike Pittsburgh for some of the above tips.)
* If a rack is available, please use it instead of a parking meter. Bikes parked at meters can pose problems for those with disabilities and others when exiting or entering parked vehicles. Bikes at meters also pose problems for City maintenance crews. If a meter is the only option at a location you frequent, please contact the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Coordinator at (510) 238-3983 or bikeped@oaklandnet.com or use our Online Request Form to request a rack.
To report a stolen bicycle, please see the Bicycle Registration page.