Better bike racks promote more bicycling, officials say

Though Davis is known for having more bicycles than people in addition to 100 miles of bicycle lanes and paths, not having a place to park a bicycle may deter many from using the environmentally friendly vehicle.

Published February 24, 2008 by The California Aggie 
By: JANET HUNG

Though Davis is known for having more bicycles than people in addition to 100 miles of bicycle lanes and paths, not having a place to park a bicycle may deter many from using the environmentally friendly vehicle.

Davis City Council recently approved the Bicycle Transportation Account project, a resolution designed to replace damaged and outdated racks and increase the number of bicycle parking spaces at popular areas throughout the city.

"This will be the largest whole-scale upgrade of bicycle racks in years," said Davis' bicycle and pedestrian coordinator Tara Goddard.

The City Council said it is hoping to provide more parking spaces to encourage more people to ride their bicycles and reduce traffic congestion.

"We need to incentive-ize the use of mass transit by providing commuters a safe, secure place to store their bicycles when they ride the bus or train," said Davis City Councilmember Lamar Heystek. "It will help the environment and ease congestion of the city streets and the I-80 corridor."

Updating or creating new racks will hopefully encourage the community to ride their bikes. An inventory is currently being created to map where the damaged racks and popular areas are, Goddard said.

"Bike racks are really key to get people to ride their bikes," she said. "We have great bike lanes, but people won't want to bike if they can't find a place to park. Hopefully, [this project] will give people a more secure place to park their bikes and at the same time, increase the number of people who ride their bikes."

The city has already added bicycle racks along Third Street, a heavily populated area, due to the dual location of Davis Farmers Market and the Third and B Teen Center, Goddard said.

However, the city plans to focus its efforts in other places aside from downtown, Bob Clarke said.

"We focus a lot of energy in downtown, but we'll also be looking at the parks and other commercial office centers and seeing what to do there," he said.

Implementing more bicycle parking decreases bicycle thefts, the number one crime in Davis, and may also prevent illegal parking. Although there are over 2,500 designated parking areas, there have been complaints about bicycles chained to private property, trees and poles, Clarke added.

Improvements made to bicycle racks include the core area of downtown, where they are bent and worn-out, and in recent areas of redevelopment.

"We're planning to change old bike racks that are out of style and hope to replace them," Clarke said.

The total cost of the project is over $240,000. Most of the funds are from the Bicycle Transportation Account, which will provide $216,995, Goddard said.

The project will tentatively be completed within six to eight months.

"We hope for a significant improvement by next school year," Goddard said.

The city said they encourage students to voice their opinions and thoughts regarding bicycling in Davis.

"I hope students will continue to tell city leaders what their bicycling needs are, [whether it] be more bike racks or safer bike racks or a more affordable place to buy bicycles," Heystek said. "I'm very keen to serving the student community because they constitute a large chunk of the bicycling population. It's a huge issue."

JANET HUNG can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com