Capitol Hill getting first on-street bicycle parking

 Unfortunately it's not the Capitol Hill we most care about, but this one.

Taking the place of one to two motor vehicle parking spaces, on-street bike parking will be filled with bicycle racks and surrounded by a raised curb. Bicyclists can enter the parking area from the sidewalk and each car-sized space will accommodate up to eight bikes.

This is, sort of, what was done with the Metro Center SmartBike station. But there are a few places (Adams Morgan, Georgetown, etc...) that could use some of this.

Tip

And Baltimore, it seems, is doing the same. According to Mark Counselman, who serves on the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee

It's a surprisingly central theme of the Mayor's, every time she appears in public she talks about biking, which makes it a great time to get moving to make Baltimore better for biking.
 
So, Baltimore city is also installing 'on-street bicycle parking', where 1-2 car spots will be converted to many bicycle parking spots.
 
The first such installation will be on St. Paul Street, 3100 block in Charles Village and is scheduled to arrive in the next few months.  When it's installed, we're planning to host a little bike parking celebration, so stay tuned.
 
Baltimore's Bike Coordinator is looking for more locations for this higher-volume bike parking.  Main streets and commercial areas are most suitable, or perhaps in front of large apartment buildings?  If you have suggestions, contact [email protected].  Of course local merchants or property owners must be on board with the plan, so all of us can help by letting them see that customers do actually shop by bike.
 
Guided by our bike plan adopted in 2006, the city is moving forward with both separated trails, and a network of on street lanes and routes.  The challenge is how to prioritize and get a network up and running.  Fortunately, as a late comer, we're able to learn from the lessons of other cities.  Here's a nice article from Bike Portland's recent visit to Baltimore:
 
 http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/27/baltimores-bike-improvements/

Comments

[Jarvis]

Why won't these racks just get clogged up by broken and abandoned bicycles too, like every other permanent bike parking structure in the city?

[ontarioroader]

Perhaps because ddot now tags and removes dead and abandoned bicycles at racks? You can submit requests for tagging/removal by google-ing "ddot abandoned bicycle" It will be the first link.

[Jarvis]

Ooooh... thanks for the tip.

[guez]

Would this be the same Baltimore mayor indicted for (among other things) going on a shopping spree with gift cards intended for the poor? Thank God she's a cyclist!