Long Term Bike Parking Included below is a draft of the list of the kinds of things for employee (long term) bike parking facilities. I have created some links to help you jump to certain sections. It is my intention to get this better illustrated with some of the photographs I have recently taken. Please email me (Ed Cox <edcox@jps.net>) if you have any comments or corrections to make.
Contents: Caged Facilities Essential Features Optional features Bike Rooms Essential Features Optional features Bike Lockers Essential Features Optional features Shower and Clothes Locker Rooms Essential Features Optional features

Caged Facilities
Essential Features	back to top
Complete enclosure	Cages shall have complete enclosure with a roof overhead.
Out of public view	Cages should not allow visual inspection of the interior from the public right of way.
Strong cage material	The cage material is a material that cannot be cut with portable (wire) cutters. Chain link fencing has not proven to be secure enough in many locations.
Solid door	The door to the cage should be flush metal material so as to prevent tampering with the latching mechanism.
Security door hardware	High quality security door hardware is required, including keyed lock, tamper proof hinges, and delayed closers. Swinging the door inward is better as it will not expose the hinges.
Leaning type racks with two points of contact	The bike racks within the facility should allow the user to lean the bicycle against the rack with two points of contact. The simplest of these configurations can be accomplished with inverted U racks spaced at 30" apart. There are many variations to the actual rack design that can accomplish this.
Convenient to users	The location relative to the street should be convenient. Placing the facility on an upper level of a parking garage is not a very good idea.
Human surveillance	Adjacent to parking attendant. If there is no human being in close proximity to give an added sense of security to the caged facility, there is a greater chance that an attempt at breaking-in will occur.
Dust reduction	Away from exhaust fan outlets. Exhaust fan outlets tend to throw a lot of grit into the air, which adds to the wear and tear of bicycle mechanisms.
Adequate headroom	Minimum head room as required by the Uniform Building Code for usable spaces.
Adequate illumination	For the space inside and the spaces leading to it, natural or electric illumination at a minimum level comparable to corridors and parking garages (0.8 watts/s.f. if all electric).
Durable flooring	Concrete or comparable durable, slip-free surfaced floor.
Optional Features	back to top
Perimeter rail	A horizontal 1 1/2" to 2" diameter steel bar bolted to the walls at about 30" high around the perimeter is useful for those who want to lock odd shaped bicycles, heavy loads or bikes with trailers.
Card key system	Many times a building will have an electronic card key system that will allow only those with a valid card to enter. This can be further tailored to limit access the bicycle cage to only those regular building users who have bicycles.
Extra ceiling hooks	Hooks to hang bicycles by the front wheel can work for overflow situations, however, ways to allowing the user to lock their bicycles must be provided. The average bicycle is 6 feet long, so the hooks should be at least a few inches more than six feet off the ground.
Security bike racks	There are some types of bicycle racks that provide security for both front and back wheels when they are used properly. This is good to have when there is a risk of not knowing all of the people who are using the parking facility. They are cumbersome for some bikes and for people who don't understand their proper use. There is not a consensus that the devices available on the market today are easy enough for all bicyclists to use properly, so installing them should be at the request of the users.
Automatic doors	Automatic door openers that sense a cyclist leaving is desirable. When combined with a card key system, these can open the door for the bicyclists desiring to enter from the outside as well.
Closed circuit cameras	Closed circuit security cameras can add to some psychological assurance, but it doesn't mean that someone is watching at the other end, nor that they can and will respond appropriately. If connected to videotape records, they can provide evidence against an intruder.

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Bike Rooms
Essential Features	back to top
Strong enclosure materials	The walls and ceilings should be of a solid material. Poured reinforced concrete and concrete block has proven to be quite effective.
Solid door	The door to the cage should be flush metal material so as to prevent tampering with the latching mechanism.
Security door hardware	High quality security door hardware is required, including keyed lock, tamper proof hinges, and delayed closers. Swinging the door inward is better as it will not expose the hinges.
Leaning type racks with two points of contact	The bike racks within the facility should allow the user to lean the bicycle against the rack with two points of contact. The simplest of these configurations can be accomplished with inverted U racks spaced at 30" apart. There are many variations to the actual rack design that can accomplish this.
Convenient to users	The location relative to the street should be convenient. The location of the room need not be obvious to the public, however it shouldn't be hard for the employees to reach.
Adequate headroom	Minimum head room as required by the Uniform Building Code for usable spaces.
Adequate illumination	For the space inside and the spaces leading to it, natural or electric illumination at a minimum level comparable to corridors and parking garages (0.8 watts/s.f. if all electric).
Durable flooring	Durable, slip-free surfaced floor that can withstand wet or muddy tires.
Optional Features	back to top
Perimeter rail	A horizontal 1 1/2" to 2" diameter steel bar bolted to the walls at about 30" high around the perimeter is useful for those who want to lock odd shaped bicycles, heavy loads or bikes with trailers.
Card key system	Many times a building will have an electronic card key system that will allow only those with a valid card to enter. This can be further tailored to limit access the bicycle cage to only those regular building users who have bicycles.
Extra ceiling hooks	Hooks to hang bicycles by the front wheel can work for overflow situations, however, consideration toward allowing the user to lock them is still needed. The average bicycle is 6 feet long, so the hooks should be at least a few inches more than six feet off the ground.
Security bike racks	There are some types of bicycle racks that provide security for both front and back wheels when they are used properly. This is good to have when there is a risk of not knowing all of the people who are using the parking facility. They are cumbersome for some bikes and for people who don't understand their proper use. There is not a consensus that the devices available on the market today are easy enough for all bicyclists to use properly, so installing them should be at the request of the users.
Automatic doors	Automatic door openers that sense a cyclist leaving is desirable. When combined with a card key system, these can open the door for the bicyclists desiring to enter from the outside as well.
Closed circuit cameras	Closed circuit security cameras can add to some psychological assurance, but it doesn't mean that someone is watching at the other end, nor that they can and will respond appropriately. If connected to videotape records, they can provide evidence against an intruder.
Lighting controls	Automatic sensors that turn lights on and off.
Floor Drain	A floor drain is good for janitorial wash down purposes.

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Bike Lockers
Essential Features	back to top
Strong enclosure materials	The walls and roof should be of a strong and durable material. The fiberboard walls and roof of some designs don't hold up to the weather as well as the plastic or metal units. This is less of a concern in areas where the units are under a shelter.
Positive draining roof	Lockers placed open to the sky should have roofs that drain. Many inexpensive versions tend to puddle water, which eventually deteriorate the unit.
Tamper resistant door	The strike side of the door should recess into the jamb. The kind of doors that lay over the opening are vulnerable to prying. The hinge side should also be protected so that the hinges are not exposed.
Multi-point latching	Higher quality lockers have a long bar that moves with the lock, which is more secure than a single point that could give in to prying.
Tamper proof securing to the ground	Since may of these unit have no floors, careful attention is required to insure that the units won't be pried and lifted up.
Flush or semi-recessed locks	Care should be given to avoid any condition that can make the locker vulnerable to bolt cutters.
Adequate clearance	Many lockers are designed to have access at both ends. There should be six feet clearance on each end. Smaller spaces would need to be tested by a bicyclist attempting to use it to verify adequate clearance
Convenient to users	The location relative to the street should be convenient. The location of the lockers need not be obvious to the public, however it shouldn't be hard for the employees to reach. There doesn't seem to be a distinct advantage to either have them all in one location or spread out. This is a variable that depends on the site conditions.
Adequate illumination	The location of the lockers and the spaces leading to them should have natural or electric illumination at a minimum level comparable to corridors and parking garages (0.8 watts/s.f. if all electric).
Durable ground surface	A durable, well drained surface shall be provided within the locker and at the landings outside the locker doors. This can easily be done with paving materials.
Optional Features	back to top
Human surveillance	Location near some human security will greatly lessen the chance of someone tampering with the bike lockers.
Additional lock	Additional hasp and keeper for a second padlock can be added. Some people like to have this extra lock. This should only be in addition to the standard flush or semi-recessed locks.
Ability to stack	This is dependent upon the ability of users and the space available. Some buildings may not have enough space for single story lockers, thereby making it necessary to stack the units. This concern needs to be weighed against the abilities of the users, since not everyone will want to nor be able to lift a bicycle into an upper locker.
Tall units	Tall units are desirable for the taller riders with taller bikes. There would likely be an added cost for a custom size, however.
Heavier gauge materials	Thicker or heavier gauge materials will make the unit harder to cut, thereby reducing exposure to break-ins. Installing the heaviest gauge that can be afforded is the best alternative. (with metal gauges, the smaller the number the thicker it is)
Additional visitor bike lockers	Bike lockers for use by the visiting public placed out in an entry forecourt/plaza is problematic, because it is hard to control who is using the bike locker and for what purpose. Coin operable units have proven to be unsuccessful in other locations, therefore should not be used. If the building users have a way to control the use of the lockers out in public, it would be a nice thing, but it can also become an operational hassle.
Visually appealing	Only a few bike lockers are aesthetically pleasing to look at. If the location makes it so that they are in a prominent location, the bike lockers will be more accepted if they have a pleasant appearance. It is possible to put them into their own walled-off compound, but doing so will take up more space.

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Showers and Clothes Locker Rooms
Essential Features	back to top
Women's and Men's	One room for each sex. For very small installations, a lockable single accommodation shower/dressing room could be installed. Such a facility would be similar to unisex toilet rooms.
Toilet room facilities	All of the requirements of a commercial toilet room facility, including water closets and lavatories.
Mirrors	A mirror in front of each lavatory.
Exhaust ventilation	Adequate exhaust ventilation for steam generated by the showers, wet clothing and wet towels.
Enough shower heads	At least two shower heads per room, but many more depending upon the number of users. Two showers will normally accommodate 6 to 8 users. Larger office buildings have between four and six shower heads. Some facilities have more men users.
Sufficient quantity of lockers	Clothes lockers should be assigned to the users. Thus allowing the user to leave items overnight. The exact quantity will vary with a building, but it seems that a large office building will have anywhere between 20 and 50. More would be better if they will actually be used.
Clothes locker specifics	Clothes lockers should be half size minimum, with approximately minimum 50% full sized. Lockers should have at least one shelf inside for small items. Lockers shall have some ventilation slots, have the ability for the user to provide a padlock and should have external coat hook for drying towels and wet clothing. In addition, all full height clothes lockers should have a lower shelf for multiple pairs of shoes and should be deep enough to use a full width coat hanger.
Benches	Benches need to be in front of lockers and near shower dressing areas.
Clothes hooks	Hooks are needed in dressing areas, especially near showers.
Soap and Shampoo ledges	Each shower head should have a soap and shampoo ledge nearby.
Damp location lighting	Damp location rated lighting should be provided in the shower areas.
Durable and washable surfaces	Hard, washable ceiling surface should be provided throughout. Light fixtures probably should have lenses.
Electrical outlets receptacles	One electrical outlet receptacle per sink minimum.
Towel racks	Towel rack storage so that damp towels can air dry.
Adequate illumination	Natural or electric illumination at a minimum level comparable to toilet rooms (0.8 watts/s.f. if all electric).
Convenient to users	The location relative to the bicycle storage and workplaces should be convenient. The location of the shower and locker room need not be obvious to the public, however it shouldn't be hard for the building's users to reach. The decision to provide locking mechanisms on this room will depend upon how isolated it is from the public.
Optional Features	back to top
Closed circuit cameras	Closed circuit security cameras at the entrance can add to some psychological assurance, but it doesn't mean that someone is watching at the other end, nor that they can and will respond appropriately. If connected to videotape records, they can provide evidence against an intruder.
Card key system	This is superior to a typical latch set, plus there is the added benefit of some computer keeping track of who is where.
Automatic fan and lights	Automatic sensors that turn lights and fan on and off. It should be preset so that at least the exhaust fan keeps running for about 30 minutes after the last person has left the room.
Individual shower stalls	Gang showers are more economical, whereas individual stalls are more private. If individual stalls are made, consideration should be given to making individual dressing/drying stalls in front of the shower stalls, which would have some wall hooks and a bench.
Wheelchair accessible shower	As determined by building code requirements.
Soap Dispensers	In addition to soap and shampoo ledges, liquid soap dispensers in the showers are desirable.
All clothes lockers full height	The size of the lockers will depend upon the kind of clothing the users will be wearing.
Ceramic tile and wainscot	Ceramic tile will last longer than less expensive materials.
Floor Drain	A floor drain is good for janitorial wash down purposes.
Hair dryers	Warm air dryers mounted at about six feet above the floor for hair drying purposes.
Cubbie spaces	Well ventilated cubby spaces for storage of shoes or small items that users don't feel will need to be locked up.
Clock radio	Sometimes users will want to listen to the radio when dressing.

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