Despite Protest, Bike Corrals Remain On Streets

Originally published 1:49 p.m. July 23.

Coronado City Council voted 4-1 to continue a six-month bike corral trial program last week, despite pleading from a bicycle shop owner and local business organization to move the bike parking on to city sidewalks and away from traffic.

Bike corrals were installed in eight locations along Orange Avenue May 30. 

Councilman Al Ovrom cast the single dissenting vote, arguing that concerns brought up by business owners for safety and requests corrals be moved to sidewalks need to be taken more seriously.

No accidents related to bike corrals have been reported since the start of the program, said Engineer and staff liaison to the Bicycle Advisory Committee Jim Newton, and thus far only minor issues have arisen.

"They're not minor little problems. and even though we're getting feedback on accidents or safety issues the people who have businesses there are in fact seeing it. So it isn't anecdotal and it isn't my imagination," Ovrom said.

Eddie Warner's shop Holland's Bicycles in the 900 block of Orange Avenue is near the busiest corrals in Coronado. She said she supports ways to provide more parking for bicycles but corrals placed on the street are dangerous.

"By placing the corrals in the city streets the city is implying that these are safe parking options and the reality is that cyclists are put into more situations where they can come into conflict with cars," she said.

Warner said she has been told by bicyclists or business owners about accidents or close calls.

"There have been multiple cases reported throughout the city and i don't think people that witness these things think to call the city so the city saying well we haven't heard anything doesn't carry a lot of weight," she said.

After observing incidents where the safety of cyclists was in question, Coronado MainStreet board members and businesses voted to recommend corrals be removed in favor of more bike racks on sidewalks, said Rita Sarich. Councilman Ovrom attended the meeting.

Before a vote was taken, Newton gave City Council and the public a presentation which shared the results of a survey taken by more than 150 local residents.

The format of some survey questions were changed June 12. The survey will be free for residents to fill out throughout the corral trial period.

Amon the latest survey results made available last week, 63 percent of survey respondents considered corrals safe, 35 percent said they are unsafe and one percent said corrals are unsafe for children.

Some requested more corrals near Village Theater for example, while others requested corrals be removed or relocated.

"Of the people that said to relocate corrals, the majority of them said it's just the fact that they're in the street so the recommendation was to put them up on the sidewalk," Newton said. "They are out in the streets so there's a certain level of risk that comes with that as opposed to being placed on the sidewalk, but nothing that we didn't anticipate."

To address concerns that vehicles can drive into corrals after right on red turns, the city may add white stripes and rubberized wheel stops, a change a majority of City Councilmembers supported.

Other concerns identified by city staff and bike committee members who helped collect the tally of activity at corrals included motorcycles parking at the corral, bikes extending into the street and tag-along carriages typically used to carry kids do not fit.

Observation of corral usage three times a day, three times a week in the first month of the program found that usage was highest on 10th Street, where corrals are at times full to capacity, and lowest on 1st Street, where usage is almost non-existent.

On an average weekday or weekend corrals typically held no more than three bikes.

"I think some of the numbers are indicating that people are still learning about the corrals, getting used to them, starting to use them, so I think completing the six-month time frame would be beneficial," Newton said.

While some changes may be warranted in the future and the corrals aren't perfect, said Mayor Casey Tanaka, those changes should be made at the end of the year when the trial program has run its course. At the moment, the corrals are serving their purpose, Tanaka said.

"The purpose of the 30-day review for me was that if there was something that one or all us thought was a fatal flaw that we could take action sooner rather than later," he said.

"And I know that there will be from time to time issues but the reality is that there are always going to be issues between bicyclists and cars. And if we're going to say that we encourage bicycling, if we're going to say we encourage it to Orange Avenue then I think we have an obligation to try and create some spaces that are convenient in that district and I do believe the corrals are accomplishing that."

Councilman Mike Woiwode agreed with Mayor Tanaka that he sees no "fatal flaws" in the program and that it should continue as-is with the addition of striping and rubber bumpers. Change may be necessary in the future but "there's nothing that we have seen or heard that suggests we should take immediate action."

If, at the end of six months, the city decides to add more bike racks, the city should be careful not to send mixed messages with bike racks in the center of sidewalks so people don't ride their bikes there. A look at city bike ordinances may be in order. 

"We can't send this mixed message: put your bike on the sidewalk but don't ride your bike on it," he said.

The safety concerns brought up by Sarich and Warner "are serious and they are real," said Councilwoman Barbara Denny.

"I was very much in favor of putting them on the sidewalks because i think that's how to keep our children and all people safer," she said.

Despite a preference for bike racks over corrals denny said she is in favor of a six-month trial period in order to give the program enough time to give the program more accurate results.

Like Ovrom and Denny, Councilman Richard Bailey said he could support more bike racks in the future.

What do you think about bike corrals? Are they safe? Share in comments.