Making the Center City Bike Corrals Permanent (with a nod to Tinker Bell)

In Center City, transportation space is at a premium. There isn't enough car parking. There isn't enough bike parking. The streets and the sidewalks are narrow. To maximize the number of people who can get in and out of Center City, we need to get creative.

Here is an example of an unimaginative use of a parking space at the corner of Walnut & Sydenham St.

Here is our idea, on display beginning this morning and continuing until early November:

The difference? Increasing Center City parking capacity by 8-13 shoppers/workers/residents (depending on how many people ride in that Hummer. And let's be honest, Hummer owners these days are usually driving alone).

Stop by today and check out our two bike corrals (we've got tents up at both places, handing out literature and talking about bikes and bike parking). One at the above parking spot next to the Chipotle at Walnut & Sydenham St (Walnut between 15th and 16th). The other is atop subway grates on the East side of the 200 block of S. Broad Street.

These corrals securely hold 12-14 bikes each, increasing Center City's bike parking capacity at the cost of one car parking spot. For any local business with employees who commute by bike, or customers who arrive via bicycle, this is good for business. It also prevents creative but destructive bike parking solutions like the one below:

Check out more photos of our bike corrals on our Flickr site.

These installations are part of Park(ing) Day, but they will remain up until early November. Like them and want to see Philly adopt more progressive transportation solutions? Send an e-mail to aaron.ritz@phila.gov and let the City know! The more encouragement the Mayor's Office gets from bicycle-friendly residents and businesses, the more bicycling infrastructure we will see. (It's kind of like clapping to bring Tinker Bell back to life...but for belief in progressive transportation infrastructure. C'mon, everybody, clap!)

These racks are generously loaned to us for free from Dero Bike Racks and Saris Parking Systems, a division of Saris Cycling Group. We are looking for funds (several thousand dollars) to buy them and make them permanent. Contact sarah@bicyclecoalition.org if you can help keep them around post-November.

Volunteer with us this Friday and impress your urban planner friends

Friday is Park(ing) Day, whereon individuals, organizations, and businesses can transform a street parking space into something far less dull. We are pretty pump'd to be installing two bike parking corrals in Center City. One will be located at the corner of Walnut & Sydenham, the other on the sidewalk of the 200 block of S. Broad Street.

More information to come on this, but we're in need of a couple of volunteers to help us man/woman tables/tents at both sites. We will be at these locations from 8 AM - 4 PM. We are looking for volunteers who can spare 2-3 hours during that window.

You will be assisting a Bicycle Coalition staff member do the following:

• Hand out our Bike Parking Guide and other literature to folks on the sidewalk
• Answer questions about the awesome bicycle corral they see before them
• Be friendly and excited about bicycling 

Sound like you? Want to help the Bicycle Coalition and impress your urban planner friends with your participation in Park(ing) Day? Shoot us an e-mail to ben@bicyclecoalition.org and we'll get you set up. There's a Bike Philly or I Bike PHL t-shirt in it to sweeten the pot.