Related Content
-
Have an opinion about walking and biking in Ann Arbor? City wants to hear from you
Have an opinion about walking and biking in Ann Arbor? Or ideas to share about what city officials can do to improve non-motorized transportation? The city is beginning a review of its Non-Motorized Transportation Plan ...
- Survey: DDA wants to know: Do you feel safe in downtown Ann Arbor?
- Ypsilanti Courier: Ypsilanti charter school's contract won't be renewed
The first day a temporary bicycle rack was placed in front of the People’s Co-Op in Kerrytown, the rack was almost full.
“The more bike parking spaces, the better,” said Kevin Sharp, marketing and member services manager at the co-op. “We’ve been in communication with the city about getting more bike parking out here. We have employees and customers who ride their bikes year round.”
Despite losing a prime parking spot in front of the store, Sharp and others at the grocery say they're glad to see the rack.
The blue bicycle racks now found in a few places around Ann Arbor are part of an in-street bike rack experiment by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.
DDA Director Susan Pollay said the authority bought five racks. Three are already placed around downtown - one in front of the People’s Co-op in Kerrytown; another in front of Bivouac on South State Street; and the third by Arbor Brewing Company on Washington Street.
A fourth rack will be installed on South University Avenue, Pollay said, but the DDA hadn't determined the exact location by this morning. The fifth rack will be used for special events such as the Mayor's Green Fair.
Each rack cost about $2,000, Pollay said. Revenue from the parking system is paying for the bike racks, she said.
The goal of the project is to decongest sidewalks with heavy pedestrian and bicycle traffic, Pollay said.
“We’re reaching a wonderful situation where all the bike parking in certain locations are already filled up with bicycles,” she said. “The goal is to accommodate even more bike riding in our town. We’re seeing how it works and asking people to give us feedback. These can accommodate 15 or more bicycles in the space where you can put one car.”
The racks are temporary, which allows the DDA to remove them when the weather gets cooler.
“When people aren’t riding their bikes as much, we can make it a parking spot again,” she said. “It will help us encourage more bicycles as well as more pedestrians and more sidewalk cafes.”
Pollay said feedback so far has been mostly positive. Out of four or five comments, one was negative and was from a business owner concerned about losing the parking spot, she said.
Bivouac owner Ed Davidson said he thinks it's a wonderful idea.
“One parking space will get about 100 more customers,” he said. “It’s a great idea. I hope it encourages more people to ride their bikes.”
Chuck Rock, an avid bicycle rider and employee at the People’s Co-op, said he appreciated the rack in Kerrytown.
“I worry about (his bicycle) Princess,” Rock said. “I used to try to park her inside, but now due to store policy, I can’t do that.”
Rock said he would like to see another rack on Main Street near Espresso Royale.
“There’s no parking on that side of the road,” he said.
Sharp said he’d like to see more year-round bicycle parking in the area, but the rack is a good start.
Photos by Jessica Kerman, AnnArbor.com: The top photo shows the State Street bike rack, and the second photo shows the Kerrytown rack today.
Jessica Kerman is an intern for AnnArbor.com. Reach our news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
AnnArbor.com