Preparing for High Throughput

Services expecting high-throughput operations need to prepare and plan ahead to keep things moving. Volumes of more than a bike a minute mean that bikes will be coming in and out of an enclosure at the same time, and lines will develop. To resolve this, operators should create two clearly signed (either with signs or pavement chalk) lines to either side of the valet entrance. This allows operators to bring bikes in on their way to bringing a bike out. This allows the enforcement of a “one bike in, one bike out” rule for when the valet fills up and also allows operators to block off the intake line as the valet approaches closing time.

When bringing bikes out of the enclosure in high-traffic times, staff should hand over bikes several meters clear of the valet entrance, to avoid congestion.

For the largest of events, it may be worth it to run two separate valets. At a point of about 200 bikes/hour, valet entrances become less efficient, especially as staff need to travel farther from the entrance to where bikes are parked.