BIcycle parking on Philadelphia's changing streets

"Headless" parking meters cause headaches for some cyclists.

"Where will I park my bicycle?" Recently it's the question many Philadelphia cyclists are asking as the city replaces its traditional pole-mounted parking meters with the new 'pay and display' automated parking kiosks.

But even if Philadelphia’s parking meters are losing their heads, Philadelphia cyclists don’t have to lose theirs.

Tall sign poles offer a secure place to park and lock a bike.

A quick look around the city, shows that even without old-style parking meters, there are still many good places to park your bike on the streets of Philadelphia.

Click here to view the slideshow "Don't even think of parking here!"

• Tall sign poles. Look up. You’ll find at least one tall sign pole on almost every city block. It’s a secure place to lock a bike.

• Public bicycle racks. The city is adding bike racks at a rapid pace and is on target to install over 1400 bike racks by the Fall 2009.

• Private bike racks. As bicycling has increased in popularity, many businesses and retailers are providing their own bicycle racks or parking for customers and employees.

In addition, on May 21, 2009, the city of Philadelphia amended its building code to require bicycle parking in many types of new office and residential buildings. In the future, we can look forward to for more private bike parking.

Closing thought: Even with the demise of the traditional parking meter, you're usually never far from a solid place to park your bike. If you don't immediately find a spot, look in front of you, behind you or across the street. Even if you have to move a few feet in another direction, you will find a place to secure your bike on the street.

The city is adding new bike racks at an aggressive pace.

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