Bike Corral in Lexington, MA
On Thursday, Traffic Council will take up a proposed trial to convert (for three seasons) one parking space on Langley Street* in Newton Centre into a 10- to 14-bike “bike corral,” similar to the one in Lexington Center shown to the left. If I’m a merchant in Newton Centre, I’d support a trial.
If I’m a merchant in Newton Centre, I want customers. Feet on the street. The express purpose of a bike corral is to provide parking for cyclists who would like to patronize local businesses**. A bike corral is (potentially***) a super-efficient use of a parking space. With moderate use, the bike corral could bring many more customers into the area than the single parking space. And, there’s some evidence that customers who come by bicycle are good customers.
Since Newton Centre parking capacity is rarely, if ever, fully occupied, the bike corral would not prevent a driver from parking. Rather, a driver might have to park a little farther away. Cause one driver to walk farther v. allow many cyclists to park closer. A fair swap.
Attracting bicyclists is consistent with efforts to revitalize village centers. Creating a bike-friendlier destination will generate a new type of visit and visitor, creating a new engagement with people who live within a short bike ride.
Finally, bicycle accommodations promote a virtuous cycle. More and better bike parking will attracts bicyclists to Newton Centre (without clogging up the already narrow sidewalks). Bicycle accommodations and more cyclists have a traffic calming effect and create a more people-friendly vibe. Which attracts more bicyclists.
Across the country, bike corrals have had their skeptics. In practice, the experience creates proponents. If we have a trial in Newton Centre, every village is going to want one!
* The last space on the north side, just in front of J.P. Lick’s.
** A bike corral does not make sense as a non-commercial, purely recreational destination. Complete the sentence: let’s get on our bikes, ride to Newton Centre, and … Eat. Buy. Bank.
*** It’s entirely possible that a bike corral would not, in the end, get sufficient use to justify displacing parking for even a single car. That’s the point of a trial.
teriffic idea! We will visit from the ‘ville’ and after uphill biking look forward to a reserved parking area. That deadend parallel parking space on the lefthand side of one-way Langley is ideal – so often I have observed auto operators unable to get into that spot, and rather than suffer the embarassment and potential ridicule of the moment prefer to drive off in search of a different spot.
Hi Sean,
Speaking as a cycling proponent, I still don’t quite see this. There is a bike rack at the Newton Centre T stop. There are the high-profile fork & spoon bike tie-ups in front of the Bank of America building at the corner of Beacon & Centre. There opportunities to secure a bike in front of establishments (securing to a parking meter ain’t great but it’s serviceable, falling-over car-scratching bikes notwithstanding).
Maybe you’re thinking about entire families cycling to JP Licks together, with a gaggle of bicycles of all sizes to secure? I could see that. Except Newton Centre vehicle traffic is not family friendly.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the idea — converting just one parking space — is harmless enough, so why not try it? But I wouldn’t expect much demand. Unlike Lexington Center, Newton Centre’s not adjacent to a dedicated bikeway.
Dulles,
Fair questions.
Capacity and proximity matter for all parking, car or bike. There is not adequate bike parking proximate to the shops along Langley St. Because of space constraints, there is only one public multi-bike rack in Newton Centre, the one you mention near the T, which is full almost every time I go by. (Peet’s has a little rack. And, there are the singleton racks at various places.)
While it might not stop you (or me), there are bicyclists who are discouraged from going to JP Lick’s or the bank or Johnny’s or … because there isn’t a reliable place to park that they can count on. They don’t think of locking to a meter as a reasonable option. They are the target audience. The corral will make Newton Centre, especially the establishments on Langley, a more appealing destination.
As for not being along a rail trail, there are also bike corrals in Somerville and Cambridge (and around the country and world) in similar commercial districts. I think it’ll be a hit. A trial will prove me right or wrong.
I like the idea of bike corrals in village centers. Like the Field of Dreams, if we build it, they will come.
Proof of concept has already been made, in the exact parking spot now being considered. It was a huge success:
http://newtonstreets.blogspot.com/2009/06/on-street-bike-parking-in-newton.html
Unaccustomed as I am to agreeing with Sean, I like the idea of bike corrals in village centers. Willy-nilly bike parking adds obstacles to pedestrians, dings to cars and an atmosphere of chaos.
Can we have riding and roping events to make the bike corrals more fun?
We have a site ready to be designated for one in Newtonville Village Center. Before PS&T Committee this Wednesday (Oct. 3rd).
Lasso the aldercritter?
I’m for anything that keeps people from chaining bikes to trees! ;-)
Not my first rodeo.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply Sean. It seems an idea worth checking out.
No brainer. Just do it.
In my mind this is the perfect example of an easy thing to try, with good chances for positive impact. Let’s see what we learn.
some lessons learned from Lexington’s: 1) make sure signage on corral indicates when the corral will be removed (owner’s bike cable had to be cut by town) 2) avoid negative innuendo that a particular business(es) paid for the placement by delegating the decision as to when/where by a local neighborhood council, or in the case of Newton Centre, well, you get the point.
Sorry to deviate *slightly* from the question but wasn’t Panera Bread required to install a bike rack in order to receive approval from the City? Excuse me if I am mistaken but I was there last week and I had to chain my bike to a tree. SoniB a sense it’s not a full deviation from the topic.