Progress on the Berkley bike racks

Some of you may recall that my town of Berkley has been attempting to do something about bike parking and bike racks.  While we still don't have any bike racks, things are getting closer!

This past March I put together a plan for installing installing 9 upside-down "U" style racks along 12 Mile road (a major portion of our downtown area) within the city.  The Berkley Environmental Advisory Committee (BEAC) approved it and we sent it to the city manager. In May, the City Council approved the funding for the racks.  So, all that's left is sign off on the locations and quantity by the public safety (police), city planner, and the city manager, who then sends the final plan sent to council for approval (there may be others players, but those are key players).  After that, assuming council approval, the racks get ordered, installed, and we have somewhere to lock up our bikes safely.  In theory, this is all going to happen by the end of July.


Simple right?  Well, almost.  There are three concerns our city has with placing the bike racks along 12 Mile road, as related to me by our city manager, Jane Bais-DiSessa:
1) Berkley does not allow biking on sidewalks (just like Royal Oak next door) so placing bike racks on the sidewalks supposedly encourages the illegal activity of riding on sidewalks
2) Berkley's sidewalks are not wide so adding bike racks has to be done carefully as to meet ADA requirements and city code
3) There are already benches and trash cans on the sidewalks so the sidewalks will be cluttered (Note #2 above...  not sure how to reconcile these two concerns, but I guess I'll do it by measuring some sidewalks?)


Her solution so far has been to suggest putting the bike racks either behind buildings or on side-streets.  But there's a few concerns that I have with that:

1) Usage will drop significantly if they aren't placed in highly visible locations
2) Increased theft if not located in high traffic areas
3) Safety at night

Ms. Bais-DiSessa's response to that last one was that she didn't think anyone biked at night in Berkley, or at least she "hoped" they wouldn't. 

Well, my wife and I do and I hope more will.

Anyway, I'm confident that many of our suggested locations may already meet the ADA requirements, and those that don't we'll be able to find someplace that does nearby.  Plus, I'm confident that I'll be able to make a strong argument for placing the bike racks along 12 Mile road in areas where they'll actually get used... even at night.