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BACKGROUND Background A bicycle corral is a group of on-street bike racks installed adjacent to the curb, typically replacing one car parking space. Corrals can fit a high number of bicycles, typically accommodating 8-16 bicycles, without impeding pedestrian walkways. They are useful in areas with narrow sidewalks, outdoor dining, and high levels of pedestrian activity. Bicycle corrals may increase pedestrian volume and business activity, and stretch a limited parking supply by encouraging alternate means of travel to commercial centers. Pilot Project Summary Last summer, the City Council approved a pilot project which comprised the installation of a temporary bicycle corral on the south side of West Angela Street (adjacent to "Peet's Plaza"). Attachment one provides a map with the location of the pilot project. The bicycle corral remains in place. A temporary parklet, which has since been removed, was also installed on the north side of West Angela Street (at the corner of West Angela and Main Streets) across the street from the bicycle corral. As noted, a discussion of the parklet program will be brought to the City Council for discussion at a later date. Staff monitored the bicycle corral throughout the year and found that it was well used by people of all ages. Some fluctuations in use occurred throughout the year and as might be expected, there were higher levels of use during summer and during various events such as the Farmers' Market. The tall bicycle racks were also preferred to the shorter racks. Through occupancy counts, staff found that during lunchtime hours (i.e., approximately 12-2 p.m.) the tall bicycle racks were consistently in use. Bike Corral Survey In August 2018, staff circulated a survey, soliciting feedback on the existing bicycle corral and to ask the community about possible future locations of an additional corral downtown. The survey was distributed via Next Door, Facebook, and other social media outlets. It received approximately 360 responses and yielded the following results: • 67-percent of respondents predominately drive downtown, 17-percent bicycle, and the remainder walk, use a combination of modes, or use other forms of transportation (e.g., ride sharing); • 26-percent of respondents have used the existing bicycle corral (95 out of 360 respondents); • 80-percent of respondents supported bicycle corrals in the downtown; and • Out of three potential locations suggested for a new bicycle corral (i.e., Main Street, Rose Avenue, and St. Mary Street), 34-percent noted Main Street as the most preferred option (slightly higher than St. Mary Street and Rose Avenue). Alternative locations were suggested for an additional bicycle corral which include: Del Valle and Vervais Avenue; Neal Street and Railroad Avenue (by Meadowlark Dairy); Firehouse Arts Center, in the Railroad right-of-way; at Dean's Café, the Rose Hotel, Library, Vic's All Star, Bank of America, Peters Street, and at Veteran's Memorial Hall. Page 2 of 5