CdA bike corrals
As part of an ongoing effort to advocate a bicycle friendly atmosphere, the city of Coeur d’Alene has installed two “bike corrals” downtown to provide secure and convenient parking spots for the two-wheelers.
The corrals, on the 100 block of Lakeside Avenue and the 300 block of Sherman Avenue, were an immediate hit among the biking community and nearby business owners, said Monte McCully, the city’s trail coordinator.
“They’re already getting tons of use,” McCully said. Each corral provides parking spaces for 12 bikes. The corrals occupy spots that previously provided one 15-minute vehicle parking space.
“It’s only eating up one parking space and yesterday at one point there were five or six bikes,” said Robert Kobrick, owner San Francisco Sourdough, 322 Sherman Ave. “The bottom line is, the more people that have convenient access to downtown, the better off we all are; it’s a no brainer.” CdA Today
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Other business owners near the corrals echoed enthusiasm over the bike-friendly parking option.
“I have received an overwhelmingly favorable response from regular customers,” said Todd Jenicek, owner of Calypsos Coffee Co., 116 Lakeside Ave. “Parking is horrendous downtown and now (patrons) can ride their bike; it’s going to enhance business.”
Nationally, bike corrals are soaring in popularity and studies show that bike parking brings in more revenue than car parking because bikers are more likely than drivers to stop and spend.
Aside from the convenience and boost in business, the corrals also “clean up the landscape downtown,” McCully said. “It clears the sidewalks of clutter from bikes that were previously chained to trees, street signs or leaned against buildings.”
The city of Portland was a trailblazer in offering bike corrals. Since the first one was installed in 2004 the numbers have proliferated. Currently, there’s a two-year backlog and 75 businesses waiting to receive one.
After monitoring the pilot program, McCully said city officials will determine whether to install additional corrals.
