UBC Bicycle Parking Requirement : Residential Assessment
Creators: name: Sonmezsoy, Grace
name: Tam, Jacob
name: Shing, Jonathan
name: Sun, Peter
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2021

description: Background The University of British Columbia (“UBC”) promotes cycling as a way to “enjoy more fresh air, improved health, and a lower carbon footprint”1. It is committed to upgrade and expand its cycling infrastructure across campus with the aim to promote cycling as one of the sustainable transportation options for the university community. The provision of bicycle parking is an important factor in convincing people to consider cycling as a viable transportation option. Given the amount of Class I bicycle parking2 required for any new development on UBC Campus as per the UBC Development Handbook and the Residential Environmental Assessment Program (“REAP”), UBC Properties Trust would like to revisit the requirements, and to ascertain that they are meeting the needs of the community while still supporting UBC’s interests and priorities. This project, UBC Bicycle Parking Requirements: Residential Assessment, is a student-led university collaboration with the SEEDS Sustainability Program, Campus and Community Planning, and UBC Properties Trust. The E3 Eco Group also participated in this project on behalf of UBC Properties Trust. Objectives The objectives of the Project are to: o Assess the current demand for Class I bicycle parking at residential properties on UBC Campus; o Gather user experience feedback for Class I bicycle parking at residential properties on UBC Campus; and o Propose updates to the current Class I bicycle parking requirements set out in the UBC Development Handbook and REAP with the aim to better meet the needs of the university community for bicycle parking spaces. Methodology To meet these objectives, the Project follows the following methodology: o Conduct a literature review of the requirements of long-term bicycle parking (Class I) for residential properties within Canada and globally; o Survey existing Class I bicycle parking facilities at six selected residential properties in Wesbrook Place (namely Mundell House, Pine House, Cypress House, Nobel House, Magnolia House and Dahlia House); o Administer a resident survey at selected residential properties to understand current user experience and gather feedback on issues; and o Develop recommendations based on the findings from the above. Key Findings o UBC guidelines (2020) on the design and standards of Class I Bicycle Parking are highly comprehensive compared to other local and international standards. o Capacity provision at three out of the six buildings studied (Dahlia House, Pine House and Cypress House) is less than the previously set standard of 1.5 bike parking spaces per unit (0.6-0.8 spaces per unit instead), leading to their overcrowded facilities. An ideal ratio of bike parking spaces per unit based on a linear estimation is 1.49. o While the facilities at Mundell House are well designed from the Convenience, Safety &amp; Security and Accessibility’s perspectives, facilities at other buildings clearly have various drawbacks. o Residents' satisfaction is highly correlated with the utilization rates, as well as security and accessibility of the facilities. o The current standards set out in the UBC Development Handbook and REAP should sufficiently meet the needs of the university community. Recommendations Ongoing monitoring and review of the Class I bicycle parking capacity provision standards It is recommended that ongoing monitoring and review of the standards should be conducted to ensure that the UBC Development Handbook and REAP updated in September 2020 and December 2020 respectively would meet the needs of the community, in particular the capacity provision requirements for the three or four -bedroom units. Design Standards – Best Practices Mundell House demonstrates the best design standards of Class I bicycle parking from the perspectives of “Convenience”, “Safety &amp; Security” and “Accessibility”. The following key features at Mundell House should serve as best practices for the reference of future developments: o Ground level access o Automatic doors o Dedicated pathways for bicycle access o CCTV installed in all bicycle storage rooms o Security windows Other suggestions Given the UBC Development Handbook and REAP are applicable to all new developments on UBC Campus, further studies on bike storage requirements of different property types (student, staff &amp; faculty, market rental strata condos) should be conducted. Additionally, it is also recommended that bike audits should be conducted regularly to ensure that bicycles stored in the facilities do belong to current residents. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”