The best bike parking, obviously, is the most secure — assuming you are not able to bring your bike directly into your home or workplace.

A significant overlooked dimension of parking is cover — often more important than proximity. Yes, a lot of people want to park “right outside the door.” But a bike is like a convertible with the top down. You’ll soon be sitting on whatever most recently fell from the sky. Which makes a covered parking rack 50 yards away preferable to an uncovered rack right outside your door.

People who want cyclists to “use the rack over there” — put a cover over the rack.