harbor

A safe space for bicycles and cyclists

  • What is it?

    A bike corral featuring solar powered illumination, three horizontal bars for locking, and unique graphical elements and bollards to mark out a safe space for cyclists in Philadelphia.

  • The Ask

    Design a bike rack that can fit into the 30×8’ footprint surrounding fire hydrants. The design should block motorists from parking illegally while protecting a space for cyclists to park and clearing a path for emergency services to access fire hydrants.

  • The Build

    We conducted interviews and observations with urban cyclists to learn about the habits and pain points surrounding the bike parking experience to design a weldment that allows a variety of bike styles to be locked through both wheels and the frame.

Approach

Bollards with reflective striping visible to cyclists and motorists

Striped landing area visible as cyclists approach

Parking

Striped area is a landing pad / slowdown area 

Yellow textured area can be used as alleyway for cyclists away from the street

In evening, lighting turns on as cyclist approaches

Cyclist and bicycle protected from sun and rain

Exit

Lighting assists cyclist in unlocking their bicycle at night

Lighting also warns incoming vehicular traffic of potential cyclist

Bike racks are angled to give cyclist both a good view of incoming traffic and a smooth re-entry onto the street

Aisle

Nose-In

Vertical

The first critical challenge we faced was to use the allotted space in a way that optimized...

  • the number of bikes that could be parked

  • the safety with which the space could be used

  • ease of access for emergency services

  • aesthetic quality of the space as it pertained to the cityscape

Several layouts were considered including vertical storage and aisle storage. Ultimately, a diagonal “nose-in” style arrangement was chosen to optimize space while creating a flow to the user experience.

For the design of the bike racks themselves we consulted various cyclist communities from around Philadelphia and other major metropolitan cities as well as a few civil engineers. With the help of these collaborators we sought to address the major concerns that were mentioned consistently by the user base.

Major Pain Points of Existing Bike Racks

  • Cant lock frame to front wheel

  • Cant lock frame to rear wheel

  • Frame of bike too high/short for bike rack

  • Bike can be detached by unbolting the rack from the ground

  • They're in the way

  • Graveyard for abandoned bikes

Our research made it apparent that adding bike racks can feel like an afterthought if the spaces they fit into are not carefully considered. We drew inspiration from the rising popularity of bistro style dining and relevant strategies for making a space feel comfortable despite its proximity to traffic. This included the use of bollards, street paint, and awnings to put users at ease in the space.

Outcome

A proposal for this design was submitted to the PPA who purchased the rights with the intention to install four units around Philadelphia. The narrative of user centered design and thorough research gave our submission the edge over competing proposals from AECOM and Kimley Horn.

Skills used:

Solidworks, User Research (User Observation, Interviews, Contextual Inquiry), 3D Printing, Sketching, DFMA, Rapid Prototyping, Welding, Project Management