Bicyclists headed downtown now have multiple parking choices thanks to a grant from the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation.
Raleigh officials just installed 75 new bike racks. According to Eric Lamb, the city’s transportation planning manager, staff “looked for places where people were locking their bikes up to signposts and trees and tried to make sure they did not create any conflicts with things like doorways or prior outdoor dining permits.”
The DOT grant requires all racks funded are installed along public rights of way, not private property.
The new racks outside City Hall on West Hargett Street are the only exception, because the site is considered public property. The building already had racks in the parking deck, but they were not being used. The new racks are located near the front door to, as Lamb describes, “better meet our philosophy of installing racks as close to entrances as possible.”
The new bike racks will help alleviate tree parking, as seen here on Hargett Street. Photo by Karen Tam.
Before the new racks were installed, the downtown area had 36 bike racks, so now there are 111 racks total. Like the existing racks, the inverted U racks are designed to hold two bikes each, so Raleigh’s Central Business District can now accommodate 222 bicycles.
The new racks are the first time Raleigh has installed racks independent of a larger project, such as Fayetteville Street and the Hillsborough Street, but Lamb hopes to add even more in other city locations.
“Seeing how much usage the new racks are getting has been very gratifying,” he said. “Now we are scoping future locations for our next round in installations.”
Lamb says the city is also searching for funds to do the work.
“If we can pursue outside resources for funding we would certainly do that before using our city funds,” he said.
The total cost of the project was $18,875.
