Shared Parking: The Missing Link to Better Bike Lanes in Cities

In cities across North America, bike lanes have become a hot topic. Advocates say they reduce traffic, improve safety, and create greener, more livable streets. Critics often counter that bike lanes take away valuable road space and, in many cases, reduce the amount of on-street parking available to residents, businesses, and visitors.

This tension—between mobility innovation and parking demand—isn’t going away anytime soon. But there’s a solution that can ease the pressure: a robust shared parking infrastructure.

Why Parking Is Always in the Middle of the Debate

When city councils propose adding or expanding bike lanes, the backlash almost always comes from the removal of on-street parking. For many neighbourhoods, those curbside spaces feel essential—whether it’s for residents who don’t have driveways, delivery drivers dropping off goods, or businesses relying on customer convenience.

The result? A tug-of-war between cars and bikes, where both sides feel like they’re losing something.

But what if the debate wasn’t about scarcity, but about smarter use of existing space?

How Shared Parking Bridges the Gap

Shared parking—where homeowners, businesses, and even institutions list unused driveway, lot, or garage spaces—unlocks a hidden supply of spots that already exist but aren’t being used most of the time.

Imagine if, instead of circling blocks hunting for a disappearing curbside space, drivers could quickly find and reserve a private driveway or an underused business lot just around the corner. That would make the removal of on-street parking for bike lanes far less disruptive.

In other words, bike lanes and parking don’t have to be competitors. With shared parking, they can actually support each other.

A Win-Win for Urban Mobility

Here’s how shared parking helps bike lane development succeed:

1. Reduces Pressure on On-Street Parking If a reliable shared parking network exists, cities can remove a few rows of curbside parking without creating chaos. Residents and visitors still have access to convenient spots—they just book them in advance.

2. Encourages Multi-Modal Trips Shared parking can be placed near bike lane hubs or transit stations. This makes it easy for drivers to “park once” and then switch to biking, walking, or transit for the rest of their trip.

3. Supports Local Businesses Businesses often worry that losing curbside parking means losing customers. Shared parking offers a new supply of spots—sometimes even closer or cheaper—that businesses can direct their customers to use.

4. Unlocks Revenue for Locals Homeowners and building owners benefit too. Listing their unused spaces provides them with extra income, while also making them part of the solution to the city’s congestion and mobility challenges.

Real-World Potential

Consider a downtown street that removes 20 curbside spots to add a protected bike lane. Without shared parking, those 20 spaces vanish, and drivers complain. But with a robust shared parking network, the city could unlock dozens of private spaces within a few blocks—spaces that otherwise would have sat empty.

Instead of a zero-sum game, it becomes an ecosystem: more room for bikes, more flexibility for drivers, and less stress for local businesses.

Moving Cities Forward

Bike lanes are here to stay. As more people demand safe, sustainable ways to move around, cities will keep expanding cycling networks. The challenge is to do so without sparking endless fights over parking.

Shared parking is the key to making it work. By creating an invisible safety net of available spaces, cities can re-imagine their streets, add bike lanes where they’re needed most, and keep everyone moving—drivers, cyclists, and businesses alike.

At Parker, we believe mobility isn’t about choosing one mode over another. It’s about connecting the dots so every option works better together. Bike lanes and shared parking can be partners, not rivals—and with the right infrastructure in place, our cities will be safer, greener, and more connected than ever.