Bike parking could become a mandatory feature of new residential developments if downtown Coun. Scott McKeen follows through on plans for a new policy.

"If we're going to encourage commuting by bicycle, we have to make it easy," McKeen said. "I think developers are behind the loop on this."

On Wednesday, council approved a new 140 unit highrise on 121st Street and 102nd Avenue. Given the prime location of the building near to the Victoria Promenade and the future 102nd Avenue bike lane, McKeen was able to negotiate for 50 bike spots.

He said it may be time to create a formal policy to determine how many bike parking stalls will be mandated for future developments.

The idea was inspired by several highrise proposals in the Oliver neighbourhood including the Emerald Tower, which included a large amount of above-ground parking.

"I think some developers are really conservative about this," McKeen said. "I think it's becoming, slowly, a bit of a dated concept in the core of Edmonton."

He said a new policy could include a reduced parking requirement for new developments in exchange for more places to park a bike.

The city is trying to encourage more people to live car-free in central Edmonton neighbourhoods in general. In the near future, street parking is expected to be converted to two-hour and metered parking to discourage residents and commuters from leaving their cars on the road.

McKeen hopes to make it easier for people to get around without a car. He says using car-shares, bicycles and public transit will ease the transition.

McKeen will speak to city administration before formally proposing a bike parking policy.