Amtrak, Shake Shack Bringing Back the Bike Rack

Actually, many bike racks, but we went with rhyme over accuracy.

A buncha bike racks have come online in busy sections of Philadelphia this week, which is good news for train commuters and people with a hankering for a burger:

30th St Station Construction Project Wraps Up, Bringing More Bike Parking
We've learned that the plaza construction project snarling the west side of 30th Street Station for more than a year has wrapped up. Part of the new plaza is bike parking for roughly 100 bikes. You can read a report from MOTU on the project here.

The construction on the east side continues, but should be wrapping up soon and will include the installation of six bike corrals, jumping the total bike parking available at 30th Street Station above 150 spots.

Center City Shake Shack Bike Corral Is Installed

Photo courtesy of Shake Shack and SHIFT_Design

Meanwhile, on 20th & Sansom, the Shake Shack bike corral is installed! This is the first bike corral in Philadelphia which a business purchased themselves. Big kudos to Shake Shack for its initiative (and prudence) in courting customers arriving by bicycle. And a second round of kudos for being good business neighbors by expanding the availability of bike parking in a section of Center City that definitely needs it.

We're not sure what they'll do with all those kudos, but they probably go well with a milkshake.

Center City Shake Shack Unveiling Bike Corral This Afternoon (with beer!)

Rendering of the modular bike corral design

The Shake Shack in Center City Philadelphia is located in a neighborhood with a desperate need for more bike parking. The many restaurants, bars, and theaters in the surrounding blocks render bike parking as scarce as car parking. So we were impressed and pleased to hear that Shake Shack is taking the smart business step of installing their own bike corral.

The in-street bike corral is a collaboration between Shake Shack and Philly-based design firm SHIFT_Design. Installed as part of the 2013 DesignPhiladelphia Festival, the corral will be permanent and house 10-14 bicycles.

Shake Shack is celebrating the installation of the corral with a happy hour of sorts today after work. From their announcement:

Everyone is invited to join us during DesignPhiladelphia on Wednesday, October 16, 6-8 p.m. for complimentary Headwaters Pale Ale and Storm King Stout from our friends at Victory Brewing Company, in addition to bike-friendly swag. We’ll also be blending up Shake Shack Storm King floats. Bonus points for arriving on two wheels.

The bike corral, as it appears in its first location, the equipment loading module from The Matrix (not pictured: guns. Lots of guns.)

We asked Shake Shack for the impetus for getting their own, distinctive bike corral. They cited a desire to honor their company's foundational story as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park, and a company policy of emphasis on environmental responsibility, design, and community investment. They don't have an official bike policy, but recognize that both customers and employees ride bicycles. This is their first bike rack at any Shake Shack location (take that, New York!).

Three of Eight In-Street Bike Corrals Installed In Philadelphia

People in perpetual search for bike parking received exciting news recently with the City's announcement of the installation of three bike corrals. They are three of eight scheduled for installation over the next two weeks (some are pending City Council approval):

Already Installed

• Filbert St in front of Reading Terminal Market
• South St in front of Whole Foods Market (betw 9th & 10th)
• South St in front of Tattooed Mom's Bar (betw 5th & 6th)

Coming Soon

• Baltimore Ave in front of Mariposa Co-op (betw 48th & 49th)
• Chestnut St in front of Drinker's Pub (betw 19th & 20th)
• Front & Thompson St in front of Kung Fu Necktie
• Girard Ave in front of Johnny Brenda's (at Frankford Ave intersection)
• 10th & Cherry in front of Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation

The Mayor's Office of Transportation solicited applications from local businesses and received eight completed applications. Huge thanks are due to Aaron Ritz at the Mayor's Office of Transportation, MOTU's contractor J. Fletcher Creamer, and the Streets Department for working together to make this project happen. And of course, a big thanks to the U.S. Department of Energy for making an Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) to the Mayor's Office of Sustainability through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that made this project possible!

Below are some photos of the recent installations:

Philadelphia Neighborhoods Support In-Street Bike Parking

Over the past week, two civic associations held meetings in Fishtown and Kensington to consider the installation of in-street bike corrals. Both meetings resulted in resounding votes of approval for both applications: one in front of Kung Fu Necktie, and one in front of Johnny Brenda's.

The corrals will be 6 U-racks on rails, similar to this.

Both businesses applied for the corrals under a program offered by the City of Philadelphia. Per the application process, interested businesses had to get the approval of their City Council rep. Councilman Darrell Clarke told KFN and Johnny Brenda's to seek the approval of their civic associations.

Now these businesses have that support, and it's Councilman Clarke's turn to give his approval to the corrals' installation.

Compliments are in order to Kung Fu Necktie and Johnny Brenda's for engaging their communities and making their businesses more accessible to customers. Bike parking is a problem for both joints, leading bicycles to be locked to everything in sight but the stray cats. These corrals will help alleviate that problem, while lessening demand on car parking by encouraging customers to shop by bike.

Reminder: Fishtowners Can Vote On Johnny Brenda's Bike Corral Application Tonight at 7pm

The headline pretty much says it all. Residents and business owners in Fishtown are eligible to vote at a meeting of the Fishtown Neighbor's Association tonight. The question at hand is whether to support JB's request for an in-street bike corral facility.

Johnny Brenda's Vote
Date: Tonight, August 21st
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Fishtown Rec Center, 1202 E. Montgomery Ave
Eligible to vote: All residents and business owners in Fishtown*
To bring: proof of residence or business ownership in Fishtown (utility bill or recent mail if your driver's license doesn't list your home address)
Fishtown Neighbor's Association meeting info 

Corral would look something like this

Obviously, we think this is one of those win-win-win-win type situations.

We encourage people who support bicycling and economic development in that neighborhood to attend and vote to support the application. This corral will increase bike parking, encourage customers to arrive by bicycle, and will help show the wider Philly business community that customers arrive by bike.

Remember to be courteous to all perspectives voiced at the meeting. And show up: positive change doesn't happen without people speaking up and voting for it.

*Fishtown boundaries, as defined by the FNA are the Delaware River to Laurel Street, Laurel to Front Street, Front to Norris Street, Norris to Trenton Street, Trenton to Frankford Avenue, Frankford to York Street, and York to the Delaware River, including both sides of boundary streets.

Johnny Brenda's and Kung Fu Necktie Need Community Support To Get Bike Corrals

As we mentioned a while ago, the success of our bike corral has spurred the City of Philadelphia to offer in-street bike parking to interested businesses. Johnny Brenda's and Kung Fu Necktie are two businesses who have applied to obtain bike corrals,which would replace one vehicle parking spot with bike parking for 12 bicycles.

These forward-thinking businesses want bike corrals, but they need community support to get them

An important part of this process is to obtain letters of support from one's local civic association. The meetings to vote on that support are Wednesday, August 15th and Tuesday, August 21st. If you live in the Fishtown Neighborhood Association boundaries or within 1/4 mile of Kung Fu Necktie, and want to see a bike corral in front of Johnny Brenda's or KFN, please attend these meetings to voice your support!

This is a big deal. Bike corrals are important tools for economic development - replacing parking for one customer in a car with parking for 12 customers on bikes is a significant net gain. They are hugely popular in other cities. Getting these corrals installed will demonstrate to Philadelphia's wider business community that it is good for business to accommodate customers arrive by bike.

See details below about each meeting, where you need to live in order to vote, and what to bring to the meetings.

A Philadelphia First - City Offering In-Street Bike Corrals To Philly Businesses

Philadelphia is taking a major step towards improving its bicycling infrastructure and its economy with a new program they are announcing this week: free in-street bike corrals to interested Philadelphia businesses.

The new corrals won't look like this one on Walnut &
Sydenham, but will provide parking for 12 bikes

We brought the first in-street bike corral to Philadelphia last September, turning one car parking spot into 14 bicycle parking spots. The corral has been a huge success: always in use, and facilitating commuting, errands, and shopping in Center City.

Now the Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities (MOTU) is offering 10 in-street bike corrals to interested businesses. 

The application process is open now and runs until May 30th. The racks are free to businesses who complete the application. If your business or property has more demand for bike parking than can be met by sidewalk racks, this is your opportunity to get an in-street bike parking corral in front of your place of business!

Here is the announcement from the Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities:

Following the successful pilot last fall of an in-street bike parking rack on Sydenham St. just south of Walnut St in Center City, our office received numerous requests from businesses around the City to provide in street bike parking. Starting this month, MOTU will be soliciting applications from businesses and organizations who want to convert a single car parking space in front of their building into parking spaces for 12 bicycles. We will be awarding up to 10 of these racks free of charge to applicants who prove that they meet the criteria outlined in application packet.

Interested businesses or organizations are required to complete the following steps:

• Determine if their location meets space requirements
• Provide evidence that their location has a high and unmet demand for bicycle parking
• Complete the application form
• Acquire letters of approval from their district City Council representative

One of 80 bike corrals installed in Portland, OR

This program will follow the examples set by peer cities across the country including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland Oregon, and Milwaukee in which a single car parking space is converted into parking spaces for multiple bicycle parking.

Applications are due May 30th, but those submitted by May 15th will get preferential treatment. Download the application here!

Help the Bicycle Coalition Keep Philly's First Bike Corral!

 What's not to like (love) about the new bike corral on Sydenham Street that was installed last week for Park(ing) Day?

We think it's pretty fabulous and are thrilled to see bikes parked in it all day, every day, since we collaborated with the Mayor's Office of Transportation to get the loan from Dero Bike Racks and installation by the Streets Department last week.

We're not alone in loving this rack. The Mayor's Office of Transportation, which wants feedback on the racks from the public, received this email last week.

My husband and I happened to walk past the bike corral at Walnut & Sydenham tonight and our jaws dropped . . it was just one of those moments where you get warm fuzzies and think "I love my city!" We are Center City residents and bike commuters who use the 22nd Street/Pine/Spruce bike lanes daily/year-round, and we work on Walnut Street near Rittenhouse, so we know the feeling of not being able to find enough bike parking. We love seeing new & innovative ideas coming from the Mayor's Office of Transportation and this is one that shows you don't need to break the city budget to create something useful. The public art factor cannot be ignored either - instead of a generic multi-bike rack, we get to see something creative & unique. Walnut Street plays daily host to many tourists, day trippers, and city residents and it is high time for some visible signals that Philly is a progressive, modern city that can balance the needs of all of it's residents (pedestrians, bikers, public transit, deliveries and drivers)! --Kelly Gibb

We couldn't agree more with Kelly. We want to make this rack permanent (although we're not sure of the exact location--that needs to be worked out with the Parking Authority). But, we need to raise $4500 to purchase the rack. We have one donation of $500 to start us off contributed by attorney Stuart Leon. If you are interested in making a donation to purchase this corral, please contact Mary Duffy, our Development Director at Mary@bicyclecoalition.org or click here to make an online donation. You don't need a Paypal Account to donate, just enter your donation amount and scroll down to where it says you can continue without a Paypal Account.

Help us Buy the Bike Corral!

p.s. If you want to give your own feedback on this rack and whether more should in installed in the future in Philadelphia, to the Mayor's Office of Transportation, please send an email to aaron.ritz@phila.gov