Editorial: Bicycle parking

Improved downtown bicycle parking should be paired with an effort to keep bicycles off downtown sidewalks.

Just like motorists, bicyclists apparently are frustrated with being unable to find a parking place in downtown Lawrence.

After hearing complaints about the lack of secure, convenient bicycle parking downtown, Lawrence city officials are working on a plan to correct the situation. One facet of that plan may be to eliminate a few parking spaces for cars and trucks and replace them with bicycle parking.

Lawrence seems very focused right now on being bicycle friendly. Whether or not various efforts will increase bicycle traffic or reduce motor vehicle traffic remains to be seen, but especially in the downtown area, where parking is at a premium, meeting the needs of both bicyclists and motorists is a delicate balance.

One potential trade-off for bicyclists might be to provide additional racks or bicycle “corrals” at locations throughout downtown but also ban the common current practice of locking bicycles to parking meter posts or any other suitable anchor on a downtown sidewalk. One member of the Lawrence-Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee pointed out that existing midblock bicycle racks aren’t convenient because, bicyclists aren’t supposed to ride on downtown sidewalks. That rationale also fits with banning bicycle parking anywhere else on the sidewalk.

Just like motorists, bicyclists want to park as close as possible to their destination, which makes a parking meter post an inviting spot. However, downtown sidewalks already have enough obstacles created by restaurant seating and sales displays. Eliminating sidewalk bicycle parking — and figuring out a workable way to punish offenders — might make motorists more amenable to the loss of a few downtown parking spaces.

It makes sense to bring some order to downtown bicycle parking by restricting it to certain locations and providing standard racks that allow bicycles to be locked in two places to prevent theft. Reserving space for bicycle parking in the lots on Vermont and New Hampshire or perhaps on side streets just east and west of Massachusetts might be preferable to taking prime Mass Street spots.

Bicyclists have one ongoing advantage over motorists: They park downtown for free. Providing more and better parking for bicycles in the area isn’t a bad idea — especially if it is paired with an effort to keep bicycles off downtown sidewalks.