St. Louis has joined cities like Minneapolis and Seattle in requiring developers and rehabbers to install bike racks in certain projects.
Mayor Francis Slay signed the bike parking ordinance at City Hall on Wednesday. It requires developers and rehabbers of most projects over $1 million to install at least one bike rack that can hold at least two bikes. The offsite parking requirement is reduced by one space for every bike rack that's installed.
Slay called the new ordinance just another step in making St. Louis a more bike-friendly city.
"Just a couple of years ago, I signed a "Complete Streets" bill, which requires any new transportation infrastructure to take into consideration in the design all modes of transportation, not just vehicle traffic, but also transit, and pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well," he said.
Ald. Scott Ogilvie, an avid bike commuter who carried the bill through the legislative process, says he'll lock his bike almost anywhere.
"Or if you can't find a place, sometimes you'll even drag your bike inside a store for a moment," he said. "But for a lot of people, not having a safe and secure place to lock their bike is an impediment to riding their bike. And this bill, given some time, is going to drastically correct that situation."
