Charlotte is not a bicycle friendly city, and those who commute by bike are typically not pleased with the city’s conditions. This fact greatly discourages potential pedestrians who could be commuting to and from work, or school. Percentages taken in the 2000 U.S. Census and 2005-2009 American Community Survey show that cycling in Charlotte increased 0%, while some surrounding Southeast states had 30% to upwards of 250% increases in the last ten years. By improving three major problems bicyclists face everyday like parking, way-finding, and showering/changing facilities, Charlotte has the potential to grow upwards of 120% as a cycling commuter friendly city in the next decade, similar to cities like Atlanta and St. Louis.
The project’s primary component is the branding for the bicycle transportation system, which includes bright, clear signage and easy to follow road markings prevents cyclists from getting lost. By utilizing Charlotte’s existing way-finding color scheme designed in 2007, this bicycle lane system that can be adapted to the city and easily recognized by pedestrians. These distinctive colors will be used to identify where the cyclists are in relation to the city, and make bike lanes stand out to be more visible to traffic.
PANTONE 187
C: 0 M: 100 Y: 79 K: 20
R: 196 G: 18 B: 48
# C41230
PANTONE 384
C: 18 M: 0 Y: 100 K: 31
R: 139 G: 166 B: 23
# 9FA617
PANTONE 717
C: 0 M: 53 Y: 100 K: 2
R: 240 G: 139 B: 29
# F08B1D
PANTONE 653
C: 100 M: 62 Y: 0 K: 20
R: 0 G: 82 B: 149
# 005295
Like all commuters, bicyclists want to be clean and refreshed at the start of the day. Install shower and changing facilities. Adequate showering and changing facilities can be retrofitted into most buildings at a relatively modest cost. We’re not talking about a state-of-the art gym, here, just a shower stall or two. Employees who jog or work out at lunchtime will also praise you. Make arrangements with a local health club to allow your employees to use their showers. Perhaps you could incentivize employees to bike an a regular basis by subsidizing the cost of a “shower pass” at a nearby health club. Relax your company’s dress code one day per week. Many companies have a casual Fridays policy; a day when they could simultaneously promote bicycle commuting.
* Information appropriated from sfbike.org
Knowing that their bicycles are secure and protected from the elements during work hours is reassuring to bicycle commuters. If a business has visitors coming for short term trips, install high-quality bike racks outdoors. These are by far the most common types of bicycle parking devices. Employees who work in uptown Charlotte cannot generally leave their bikes locked to outdoor racks safely all day, everyday. Bikes may eventually become prey to bicycle thieves if they are habitually locked in the same location. However, outdoor racks are great for shorter stays, especially when the bicycle is locked right. Visually, the sight of a bike rack outside a building instantly promotes a community friendly image
Secure bicycle parking is best for buildings where bikes are kept for extended periods of time, such as apartment buildings, homes, and places of employment, as well as high-theft areas and public and private parking garages. The ideal bike parking facility is a separate, locked room within the building that includes racks for u-locking bikes and lockers. If bike racks must be located outdoors, they should be placed with the safety of the cyclist (who may be retrieving his or her bicycle alone, after dark) and the security of the bicycle (bike racks clearly visible from the street or other buildings, with enough foot traffic to discourage would-be thieves) in mind.