School bicycle parking, particularly for elementary and middle-school students, requires additional considerations than for bike parking in other environments. Universally, bike parking should be secure, sheltered, easy to use, and have adequate capacity, but factors such as school location and riders’ ages are important when determining the most appropriate type of bike rack. With younger students, for example, ease-of-use is especially crucial, while schools where large numbers of students arrive by bike may need to select high-capacity racks.

As increasing numbers of students bike to school, it is important that schools provide parking facilities that satisfy their students’ specific needs. This guide provides information to help schools make appropriate decisions when purchasing and installing racks. A brief introduction on how to properly lock a bike is followed by descriptions of bike racks, the pros and cons of the most popular types of bike racks, and a look at features student bicycle riders want in their school’s bike parking.

Check out the School Bike Parking Guide

Check out our Safe Routes Safety Snippets: How to lock your bike video