Regulating bike racks in downtown

[fmanlysp]

I'm currently an Intern at the Morgantown Planning Dept. In WV. We are currently trying to install bike racks on the street meters in our downtown. Everything is in place and ready to go but we are trying to find out how we regulate them. For example, time limits, types of bikes etc. If anyone has any suggestions or know of any examples of , please reply, your help is greatly appreciated.

[CPSURaf]

I guess my question is, why would you want to regulate them? You are trying to encourage biking versus using your automobile correct? The question i think should be raised is more of a design/spacing issue more so than anything else. Where will these bike racks be placed? how are they designed to not impede parking or pedestrian movement? I have yet to come across regulations of time limits/and or types of bicycle.

If anything, regulating a time limit of say 7 days, if a bike is still locked up, it can be impounded or something to that effect, but that is about it.

[DetroitPlanner]

Originally posted by CPSURaf

If anything, regulating a time limit of say 7 days, if a bike is still locked up, it can be impounded or something to that effect, but that is about it.

I agree.. and somehow I can't get the picture of a tire-boot on a bicycle out of my mind!

[fmanlysp]

I agree with you guys as well, but we are not looking to strictly regulate using bike racks, more of setting some standards if you choose to use it. We are only putting up a limited amount of spaces and we don't want people to park their bikes their for months at a time. Downtown Morgantown is very small and basically only student at the University will use the racks and we do not want people to leave their bikes their months at a time.

[Veloise]

Originally posted by fmanlysp

I agree with you guys as well, but we are not looking to strictly regulate using bike racks, more of setting some standards if you choose to use it. We are only putting up a limited amount of spaces and we don't want people to park their bikes their for months at a time. Downtown Morgantown is very small and basically only student at the University will use the racks and we do not want people to leave their bikes their months at a time.

This does not parse.

Most people who ride bikes park at home, then ride to the destination. They park & lock, do their business (school-shopping-web browsing), then unlock and ride home.

If someone is commuting on a daily basis, the subject bike could be present at the rack "for months at a time," but it would leave and return during time frames not in the purview of code enforcement.

Not sure why encouraging more people to ride would be a bad thing. Keep in mind that bikes can be locked in creative ways; I prefer the end of the standard pipe racks, and sometimes adjust my fellow riders' hardware so as to fit mine in. If there is insufficient bike parking, there is insufficient bike parking and the solution is to add more, not slap "residents only" or "limited access" regs on what you have.

HTH