France's new law on compulsory bike parking spaces comes into effect in 2023
Many shared apartment complexes across France will have to come up with ways to offer secure bicycle parking in 2023 once a new law comes into force.
As France pushes to become a more bike-friendly society, new rules are set to come into force at the end of the month that might make life a bit easier for cyclists living in shared apartment buildings - although be warned, there are a lot of exemptions.
Thanks to France's 2019 "Mobility Orientation Law," buildings with car parking options for inhabitants will soon be required to address the question of secure bicycle parking too.
For cyclists across France living in these types of housing complexes, this could spell an end to having to leave their bicycles on the street, where they could be stolen or damaged.
France's parliament has sought to address this issue, as many shared apartment buildings (coproprietés, or shared housing complexes containing at least two dwellings) have strict rules regarding where bicycles can be parked - for instance not in common areas like halls or corridors and in many cases not even on private balconies, leaving many cyclists with no other option besides parking their bikes outside.
The new regulations, which will come into force at the end of December 2022, will require home-owners associations (syndics) in these types of buildings to meet and discuss how they will offer secure parking for bicycles (if they do not already do so). During the meeting, the syndic will also need to compile estimations for how much these adjustments would cost, and then begin work to provide the space, unless they meet one of the exemption criteria (see below).
In the background of these new bicycle parking rules, cycling has been on the rise across France - during the first nine months of 2022, cycling increased by 11 percent when compared to the same period in 2021 and by 33 percent when compared to the same period in 2019.
The French government has been seeking to encourage more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, namely cycling. The country recently announced it would spend an additional €250 million on their 'plan vélo,' a multi-year project intended to encourage and build up cycling infrastructure across the country.
READ MORE: How France will splash another €250 million on national ‘bike plan’
The specifics of the rules
As for the parking spaces themselves, a decree added to the law in June 2022 specified that the parking devices offered by the apartment complex will need to stabilise bikes - meaning the bicycles should be secured by both the frame and at least one wheel.
Additionally, the area dedicated for cyclists will need to be secure, meaning it must have a "door equipped with a secure locking system" if it is within the building. If located outside the building, the facilities will need to be covered, lit and enclosed.
Regarding the number of parking spaces, this will depend on the building itself. If the building is "new" and equipped with its own parking garage, then there must be at least one bike space per apartment with "two principal rooms" (typically a one bedroom) and two bike spaces for dwellings with "three principal room" (typically a two bedroom apartment).
If the bicycle parking area will be on the same property as the apartment building, then preference should be made to place the bicycle parking area either on the ground floor or on the first floor of the buildings parking lot.
If the building is an "immuble ancien" (older building) and it offers an annexed parking lot, then the car park will need to allocate one bike space per dwelling.
The bike parking spaces should be at least 1.5 metres squared in size, excluding the clearing space.
The exemptions
As often with French rules, there are exemptions.
The major one is that this only applies to buildings that offer parking spaces - buildings with no parking attached, which is common in most of the big French cities, will not have to provide bike storage spaces.
There is also an exemption where the space that could be used to house bicycles is not accessible to cyclists and cannot be adapted to be accessible. This might happen if the only parking area is subterranean and the only way to access it would be the same ramp drivers use, meaning it could be dangerous for cyclists.
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As France pushes to become a more bike-friendly society, new rules are set to come into force at the end of the month that might make life a bit easier for cyclists living in shared apartment buildings - although be warned, there are a lot of exemptions.
Thanks to France's 2019 "Mobility Orientation Law," buildings with car parking options for inhabitants will soon be required to address the question of secure bicycle parking too.
For cyclists across France living in these types of housing complexes, this could spell an end to having to leave their bicycles on the street, where they could be stolen or damaged.
France's parliament has sought to address this issue, as many shared apartment buildings (coproprietés, or shared housing complexes containing at least two dwellings) have strict rules regarding where bicycles can be parked - for instance not in common areas like halls or corridors and in many cases not even on private balconies, leaving many cyclists with no other option besides parking their bikes outside.
The new regulations, which will come into force at the end of December 2022, will require home-owners associations (syndics) in these types of buildings to meet and discuss how they will offer secure parking for bicycles (if they do not already do so). During the meeting, the syndic will also need to compile estimations for how much these adjustments would cost, and then begin work to provide the space, unless they meet one of the exemption criteria (see below).
In the background of these new bicycle parking rules, cycling has been on the rise across France - during the first nine months of 2022, cycling increased by 11 percent when compared to the same period in 2021 and by 33 percent when compared to the same period in 2019.
The French government has been seeking to encourage more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, namely cycling. The country recently announced it would spend an additional €250 million on their 'plan vélo,' a multi-year project intended to encourage and build up cycling infrastructure across the country.
READ MORE: How France will splash another €250 million on national ‘bike plan’
The specifics of the rules
As for the parking spaces themselves, a decree added to the law in June 2022 specified that the parking devices offered by the apartment complex will need to stabilise bikes - meaning the bicycles should be secured by both the frame and at least one wheel.
Additionally, the area dedicated for cyclists will need to be secure, meaning it must have a "door equipped with a secure locking system" if it is within the building. If located outside the building, the facilities will need to be covered, lit and enclosed.
Regarding the number of parking spaces, this will depend on the building itself. If the building is "new" and equipped with its own parking garage, then there must be at least one bike space per apartment with "two principal rooms" (typically a one bedroom) and two bike spaces for dwellings with "three principal room" (typically a two bedroom apartment).
If the bicycle parking area will be on the same property as the apartment building, then preference should be made to place the bicycle parking area either on the ground floor or on the first floor of the buildings parking lot.
If the building is an "immuble ancien" (older building) and it offers an annexed parking lot, then the car park will need to allocate one bike space per dwelling.
The bike parking spaces should be at least 1.5 metres squared in size, excluding the clearing space.
The exemptions
As often with French rules, there are exemptions.
The major one is that this only applies to buildings that offer parking spaces - buildings with no parking attached, which is common in most of the big French cities, will not have to provide bike storage spaces.
There is also an exemption where the space that could be used to house bicycles is not accessible to cyclists and cannot be adapted to be accessible. This might happen if the only parking area is subterranean and the only way to access it would be the same ramp drivers use, meaning it could be dangerous for cyclists.
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