Going for a ride? City brings back bike-pad parking

By: Melissa Martin

THERE is suddenly a surge of parking in the heart of Winnipeg -- as long as you leave your car at home.

City workers have installed new bike parking pads over 18 street spots in downtown, the Exchange District and the West End. It is the second year for the active-transportation feature, which was launched as a pilot program last summer.

The mobile pads take up about two car-lengths of space on the street, and have room to securely hitch 16 bikes per rack they carry.

"They are designed to be semi-portable so that, should a location not be in high demand, they can be moved to an area of higher demand," city spokeswoman Alissa Clark said.

For instance, you may have spotted the pads -- which are built on a base of recycled wood -- outside Canad Inns Stadium for last Sunday's U2 concert. Currently, the pads have a home at spots including outside the MTS Centre, near the Sport Manitoba building on Pacific Avenue, and on Langside Street, north of Portage Avenue.

In some high-traffic spots, the pads have been a hit with cyclists who have long had to lash their bike to fences or light poles.

Unlocking her bike from the pad at the corner of Bannatyne Avenue and Albert Street, one frequent cyclist applauded the pads' return. "It's an incentive," said Elisa Contreras, 24.

"Everything that makes a city more friendly for cyclists is great. They're well-made and incredibly easy to lock your bikes to ---- it's a great idea."

Not all are so thrilled. Last year during the pilot program, witnesses in the Exchange District watched as a car accidentally drove into one of the pads, damaging bikes and the car itself; on Twitter and in Exchange District cafés, some drivers were overheard voicing concerns that the pads' presence on the street wasn't safe.

But the pads are marked by tall blue columns to alert drivers, and Clark pointed out that they are only placed in existing street parking spots to minimize risk. Each spot is vetted by the public works department to make sure it's safe for drivers, she said.

The bike-pad program is administered by the city's parking authority and designed to complement the city's active transportation initiatives. They are monitored by local Business Improvement Zone organizations, which keep an ear out for feedback.

Last year, the Exchange District BIZ heard a few complaints about where the bike pads were located. So this year, they tweaked the placement of their four pads.

"So far, we haven't had a single complaint, and for the most part they're full," said BIZ operations director Derek Manaigre. "So we are happy."

The BIZ also hopes to install 15 to 30 more individual bike racks this year.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca