

Bikes on bikes on bikes. (Photo by Astrid Riecken For The Washington Post)

The District has a new parking problem, but it has nothing to do with cars.

It’s the bikes. Our colleagues at The Express report today in their state-of-cycling-in-the-District special report, that bike parking is at a premium, with some cyclists finding that in some neighborhoods, there’s just no room to secure their two-wheelers.

“Bike parking is not the sexiest topic in transportation, but we believe strongly in it,” Megan Kanagy, capital projects manager for the Downtown DC Business Improvement District tells Express’ Vicky Hallett.

The BID has launched a three-year push to boost its rack count. In 2012, the neighborhood had 500 racks. By 2015, it’ll have close to 1,000, Hallett writes.

The D.C. Department of Transportation has installed more than 2,000 racks over the past 10 years. That’s on top of the 1,000 or so that business improvement district’s like Downtown D.C. have put in. (If you’d like to suggest a location for a bike rack you can do so by calling 311.)

According to recent Census figures, Washington ranks seventh in the nation among cities for the number of folks who bicycle to work.

Washington has built more than 50 miles of bike lanes and is planning to add 14 miles more this year. The popular Capital Bikeshare program, which many credit with increasing interest in two-wheel transportation has put more than 2,500 short-trip bikes on District and suburban streets, with plans to expand that number this year.

The area’s bike infrastructure will face a big test Friday, which is national Bike to Work Day. Last year, more than 14,500 cyclists participated in the event, which is designed to encourage folks to reduce traffic congestion by biking.