Increasing bicycle parking downtown should not come at the cost of limiting availability of motorist parking spots.
A bike corral, which is able to park 12 bikes, was recently constructed in the place of a metered parking spot on West Franklin Street.
This stretch of the road is home to numerous popular businesses such as Mediterranean Deli and McDonald’s, yet it didn’t have any bike parking until now.
However, the town should be wary of creating too many more corrals if it means the loss of parking spaces.
Cycling advocates argue that the addition of bike corrals will decrease car traffic by encouraging drivers to bike instead. However, most drivers will not suddenly turn to cycling just because bike parking is now available downtown.
The number of cars searching for open spots on Franklin Street will likely remain as high as ever.
Bike corrals are very popular in cities such as Portland and San Francisco, where a large percentage of the population uses bikes to get around. While biking is more common in Chapel Hill and Carrboro than in the rest of the state, it’s not prevalent enough to justify the replacement of parking spots with corrals.
Building more corrals will not result in a cultural shift toward bike-friendliness, and it will not significantly increase the number of people willing to bike on Franklin Street. Rather, it will simply anger motorists who already face frustration when trying to park downtown.
The new corral on West Franklin Street was the first to be constructed on a state-owned roadway. This is a historic moment for increasing bike-friendliness, but the state should not create more corrals until the time comes when demand for bike parking outweighs the need for car parking.
