Photo by sally henny penny.

Did you know that commercial office, retail and service buildings in Washington are required by law to provide at least ten percent of the number of car parking spaces for bike parking? (For example, if a development had 100 parking spaces, they would be required to have at least 10 places for people to park a bike.) It’s true — the Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act of 2007, which passed the Council in November of that year, issued such requirements for the storage of two-wheeled conveyances at buildings around D.C. Not that it’s really mattered, though: the bill didn’t actually include any way for the city to enforce such parking minimums.

The Council will address that today, during a hearing in which they will consider the Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Amendment Act of 2010, a bill introduced by Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham which would allow the city’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Mayor to levy fines and fees against building owners who don’t comply with the minimum bike parking requirements. Cycling advocates are pushing hard for the amendment — and it would be surprising if it didn’t eventually pass, especially considering how desperate the Council is for any kind of tax-less way to raise revenue at this point.