Fayetteville transportation workers last week installed the city’s first ever on-street bicycle parking corral. 

　　The corral, which includes six parking racks with room for up to 12 bicycles, is located directly in front of Arsaga’s Church & Center coffee shop at the northwest corner of Center Street and Church Avenue in downtown Fayetteville.

　　Dane Eifling, the city’s bicycle programs coordinator, said the structure was installed in response to requests from local business owners who cited the need for more bicycle parking.

　　Installation of parking corrals is a trend cities across the country are turning to in commercial areas with increased bicycle use – particularly at street corners and in places where sidewalks are too narrow to accommodate bicycle racks.

　　In Portland, Oregon, at least 139 on-street bike corrals have been installed in the past decade, according to thePortland Bureau of Transportation website. Portland officials said many business owners prefer bicycles in the adjacent parking strips rather than automobiles in order to attract a customer base that is turning more to bicycles for transportation.

　　While corrals provide an increased customer-to-parking-space ratio, there are other advantages than just adding more bicycle parking. For pedestrians, on-street corrals help clear the sidewalks leaving more room to walk, and for motor vehicle drivers, corrals can improve visibility at intersections by eliminating the opportunity for larger vehicles to park at street corners.

　　Eifling said Fayetteville’s corral is located in an area close to a stop sign that did not meet minimum requirements for a vehicle parallel parking space.

　　The new structure is designed to be highly visible with yellow reflective delineator posts and yellow and black parking blocks. The steel racks were manufactured and installed by the city’s Transportation Department, while a local vendor powder coated the racks in a bright yellow color. Eifling said project cost approximately $1,100 to complete, and was funded through the Fayetteville Parking Management Division’s bicycle parking budget.

　　Business owners who’d like to request more bicycling parking should visit the city’s Bike Rack Installation webpagefor more information.