TITLE
Recommendation to authorize Department of Public Works to convert one parking space in the public right-of-way in front of 435 E. First Street into an on-street bike parking corral as a pilot project. (District 2)
DISCUSSION
Over the past two years, the City has installed over 400 bicycle racks in and around business districts and commercial corridors throughout the City. Demand for additional racks continues to increase, and the City Council recently approved the purchase of over 2,000 additional bike racks utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. While demand for additional bike parking has grown, limited space has proven to be challenging in some commercial corridors where high pedestrian activity and high bicycle usage co-exist. This challenge is increased in neighborhoods where existing sidewalks are narrow.
Other cities facing similar challenges have begun to install bike corrals to relieve sidewalk congestion, including Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Columbia, MO; Tucson, AZ; New York City, NY; Key West, FL, and Seattle, WA. Bike corrals are grouped on-street bike parking installations placed in a single parking space or loading zone traditionally used to park a single automobile. A bike corral typically provides on-street parking for up to 10 bikes or more. Exhibit A shows examples of bike corrals in use in other cities.
Based on the experience of other cities, businesses, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists benefit from bike corrals in the following ways:
? Businesses: Corrals provide a 10 to 1 customer to parking space ratio and advertise "bike-friendliness." They also improve the outdoor cafe seating environment by removing locked bikes from the sidewalk and railing, and provide a buffer between parked cars and sidewalk dining.
? Pedestrians: Corrals clear the sidewalks and serve as de facto curb extensions.
? Bicyclists: Corrals increase the visibility of bicycling and improve cyclists' access to commercial...
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