Downtown bike lanes put premium on parking for cyclists

Cycling in Edmontonhas gotten easier due to the city's newly opened downtown bike lanes. But as more cyclists are expected to commute downtown this summer, riders are alreadycalling for more bicycle parking.

"I feel that I lock my bike more often to a random road sign post compared to a bike lock up spot," said downtown cyclist Andrew Ritchie.

The city opened part of the new system of bike lanes through the urban core twoweeks ahead of schedule on June 16. All of the protected bike lanes south of 105th Avenue are now ready for two-wheeled commuters.

• Bad bike rack design has Edmonton's Brewery District owners backpedalling

Constructionbeganon thenetwork ofnew lanes in April. Lanes in outlying areas of the cityare expected to be completedbyAugust 26.

But some cyclists say they are having difficultylocking up a bikeat the end of the ride.

BikemessengerMariahHoylocksherbikewherevershe canfind a spotwhile workingdowntown. She isglad that the new commuter bike lanes are finally open and hopes the city adds more racks.

"Hopefully, they will add more," Hoy said."I just lock up on ramps and posts and anything Ican find honestly."

A spokesperson for First Capital Realty, a property management firm, said Friday the company plansto install new bike racks in the Brewery District next week after complaints that the existing city-approved racks were not working.

Chris Chan with theEdmonton Bicycle Commuters Society (EBC) said that more businesses should use bike rack designs that work with the wide variety ofbicycles out there.

"What you have to consider, as someone looking for a bike rack, is will it hold the bike up neatly and upright?" Chan said.

"It should support the bike in at least two points of contact," he added."And the other consideration: Can you fit a U-Lock around the wheel, the frame and the bike rack?"

It is legal to lock your bike to street furniture, sign posts or street light poles, as long as they don't block pedestrians or roadways.

Locked bikes cannot block traffic controldevices, such as a pedestrian crosswalk button, and the cityasks that bicycles not be locked to trees.

The city is now in the process of installing more racksdowntown.

If residents would likea bike rack installed outside their building, one can be requested from theCity of Edmonton website.