Bicycle parking

Ad hoc bicycle parking alongside railings, signs, and other street furniture is a common practice and may be recognized through formal legal arrangements.

This usually means providing a wide distribution of visible, clearly designated parking spots, close to the entrances of destinations being served.

[5] Conversely, where cycling is seen as an unwelcome or inappropriate activity, or there is a lack of knowledge about best practices, bicycle parking may simply not be provided or else placed at awkward, distant, and out-of-sight locations.

In April 2007, the authorities at the University of California's Santa Barbara campus started confiscating bicycles parked at other than official bike racks.

[7] Some property owners or municipal authorities display signage on fencing to discourage bicyclists from locking their bicycles.

A bicycle parking station in Massachusetts
Without organized parking facilities, bike parking can easily become a problem in densely populated areas.
The space needed to park a single automobile can accommodate nearly a dozen bicycles.