Only a few hours after installation, 9 bikes were parked to the new bike corral, with room for 13 more. Two cars would only allow about 8 total customers in the same amount of space

Attend the Tuesday May 15 dedication

The South Side business district became the first neighborhood in Pittsburgh to make a parking swap and install an on-street bike corral. The new bike corral is in front of OTB Bike Cafe, 2518 E Carson St. Where there was once a place to park only two cars, there will now space for 22 bicycles, increasing the capacity of customer parking in this very dense business district.

Cities across the country have been installing bike corrals to address an increase in people using bikes and their need for a place to park them.  Typically, bikes lock to signs or bike racks located on sidewalks.  However, in some places, the narrow sidewalks often get cluttered, making it difficult for pedestrians to get by. The idea of the bike corral is to make a “parking swap,” and use the space that previously accommodated one vehicle in order to accommodate multiple vehicles, increasing the parking capacity of a business district. Typically one parking space can accommodate about 10 bicycles.

There are also plans in the works to put two bike corrals in Shadyside’s dense Walnut St business district.  Councilman Bill Peduto is leading this effort.  The plans for these are a bit different, whereby the corrals will be located on the corners of Walnut and Bellefonte and won’t be replacing exiting parking but making a creative use of a public space.  These corrals will be placed on the corner in order to prevent illegal parking, which causes reduced sight-lines for drivers trying to pull onto Walnut St.  Since drivers can see thru the bike corrals, they will be better able to safely enter Walnut St.

Attend the ribbon cutting with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl!

Show support for the new bike corral and attend the ribbon cutting and Mayoral proclamation!

From the Mayor’s Press desk: Installation of the OTB Bicycle Café corral is expected to be the first of several corrals that will be strategically placed within the City as a way to expand parking capacity in Pittsburgh’s business districts and accommodate City cyclists.

• Tues., May 15, 2012
• 12 noon
• OTB Bicycle Café (2518 East Carson St.)

Additionally, the Mayor will proclaim the day “Frank Lenz Day” in the City of Pittsburgh. The proclamation will honor the Pittsburgh native that set off from here 120 years ago on is bicycle to travel around the world, but ended up disappearing in Turkey.

Lenz was memorialized in the 2010 book, The Lost Cyclist, by author David Herlihy. Mr Herlihy is expected to attend the dedication.

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