future on-street bike parking.
(Photos: Marcus Griffith)
By the end of this year, transportation planners with the City of Vancouver plan to have their first-ever on-street bike parking corral. The new bike parking is slated to be installed in front of Angst Gallery at 11th and Main Streets (maps).
The owner of the gallery, Leah Jackson, requested the bike parking. According to Jackson, there’s currently only one bike rack on the entire block. “I will be very excited to have it [the new parking]… as I currently lock to a planter box and my son uses a street sign.” (Jackson’s son happens to be the young man who led a ride to protest Vancouver’s all-ages mandatory helmet law back in March 2008.)
A BikePortland tipster photographed two City of Vancouver employees — Senior Transportation Planner Jennifer Campos and Senior Engineering Technician Terri Elioff — taking measurements at the site last Friday.
When we contacted Campos, she confirmed that the bike parking was in the works. Campos said it will be a “test area” and that the location they’ve chosen is “a block where we have a high need for bike parking.” Another reason the location was chosen is because it is not currently being used as a motor vehicle parking spot.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Campos said they plan to install four staple racks (enough to fit eight bicycles) using the same design as the on-street “bike corrals” that are popping up all over Portland (the City of Portland has shared installation details and standards with Campos).
The new bike parking will be paid for through a federal Congestion and Air Quality Management Program (CMAQ) grant. The project is part of a larger effort by the City of Vancouver to promote non single-occupancy vehicle trips into downtown through their Destination Downtown project.
Vancouver resident and everyday bike rider Marcus Griffith is excited about the project. “It may seem like a small step, but considering it is Vancouver’s first step towards on-street bike parking, it is a step worth supporting.”
Excitement for bicycling is building in Vancouver. Last week we brought you word of over $300,000 in bikeway improvements in an around the I-5 bridge being planned by the City of Vancouver. The city’s grassroots bike advocacy scene is also blossoming as the fledgling Bike Me! group begins to mature and tackle more issues.
Learn more about bicycling in Vancouver on the City’s bike information webpage.