The Bike Corral is a pilot project that will add new bike parking in Downtown Kalamazoo. 10 bikes can be parked safely here in less room than it takes to park one car! The location will change about once every month to help us learn where there is the most demand for bike parking. Then in future project or when streets are rebuilt, permanent bike parking can be added where it will be most useful.
A bike corral is a type of on-street bicycle parking for commercial areas that shifts parking off the sidewalk. When located near intersections, they can act as a bump-out, which can also help to calm traffic or make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street.
Bike corrals can be permanent or mobile and can be designed to meet the needs of a specific area. They are a great way to understand the demand for bike parking.
The Bike Corral will move to different locations throughout the year, for about a month at each one.
The Bike Corral pilot project wouldn't be possible without the support of its sponsors:
Open Roads
Kalamazoo Bicycle Club
Landscape Forms
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo
ModeShift
Gazelle Sports
Pedal
A pilot project is an initial small-scale implementation that is used to test a project idea. They can involve either a new approach or idea or something that's recommended by professional organizations or other groups but which is new to Kalamazoo.
Pilot projects help us try new ideas and projects to make sure they serve our community well before investing more time and money to make them permanent.